Jalen Ngonda

Jalen Ngonda brings his Doctrine of Love tour to The Great Hall, Cardiff on 25 October 2026. Raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and shaped by his years in Liverpool, he crafts compact songs that lean into classic soul and rhythm and blues without pastiche. His voice stays front and centre, carried by steady grooves, marked basslines and clean, unfussy arrangements where a tight rhythm section leads and discreet horns or strings add colour. After honing his set in clubs and small rooms, he fixed that approach on Come Around and Love Me in 2023 for Daptone Records, a studio snapshot of a live sound balanced between slow ballads and more uptempo cuts. On stage, he keeps the instrumentation lean to let the melodies breathe, with guitar or keys sketching harmonies and a pulse that holds the room rather than rushes it.

Brooke Combe opens the show, setting the tone before Ngonda steps in with his blend of tender ballads and groove-led soul.