Review: Jalen Ngonda at Astor Theatre

Jalen Ngonda at Astor Theatre
w/ WILSN
Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Jalen Ngonda has had a big couple of years. While it’s been about 10 years since his first single was released, it’s really the last couple of years since the release of his debut album, Come Around And Love Me, on the hitmaking Brooklyn-based Daptone Records, that have seen Ngonda blow up.

The retro soul revivalist label has given us Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (the label’s house band who recorded with Amy Winehouse), Charles Bradley and Thee Sacred Souls, to name but a few. Ngonda fits their roster perfectly. Along with acts like Leon Bridges, the sound of golden-era 60s Motown soul is making a real comeback and finding a new audience.

Ngonda even turned up on the epic new Gorillaz album, on the track The Moon Cave. The diverse crowd packing out The Astor last Wednesday, spanning all age groups, shows not just the increasing popularity of Ngonda, but that of the new wave of classic soul artists that he is spearheading.

He followed a different road to success when, in 2014, at age 20, he moved to the United Kingdom to attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) and pursue music, and he’s been based there ever since, finding his first success in the grim north of England, with its rich musical history and northern soul scene.

He first visited us here in January last year, which saw him blow away Freo.Social with his sheer talent. He is the real deal and garnered rave reviews, creating word-of-mouth buzz and hype. Ngonda must have enjoyed himself, as he’s returned again just over a year later! With a few new singles out since, he’s announced a new album, Doctrine Of Love, will be released in June.

Now the word is out, and this time saw him play a bigger venue with a bigger band. Last time he played as a stripped-back three-piece; this time his band included bongo drums and keys. Despite the midweek gig, The Astor was well and truly packed, with many excited to see what all the hype was about, and they weren’t disappointed.

Melbourne’s WILSN was a great choice of support. The award-winning group is essentially the project of frontwoman Shannon Busch. With her commanding voice and presence, and full band, she put on a superb performance as the warm-up act—the room was well and truly toasty by the time they left the stage.

WILSN’s second album Bloom was released last year, and she played several songs from it. Big Star is a velvety smooth number, and the impassioned When Will Love Come My Way showed off her soaring vocals. Just a very impressive live band with a big, polished sound.

Busch has got the look, style and soul, and with her smoky, powerhouse vocals, reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, she quickly had the crowd in the palm of her hand. The response at the end of each song was as loud as for a headline act, so impressed were they, and when she hit the huge final note in her last song, going up and down the register with such control, the crowd went wild. She would have won some new fans, no doubt, and hung around at the merch stand after the show to chat and sell records. The future is bright for WILSN.

Now that the room was well and truly primed, it was time for the main event. Being a weeknight gig, Jalen Ngonda and his band stepped out around 8.30pm, and his appearance onstage, dressed smartly in a light suit and red shirt, every bit the part of a classic soul crooner, drew a huge reaction from the crowd. They launched into Rapture, the last song from his debut album, and immediately the room was filled with warm, smooth, lush, soulful sounds.

Even with the three-piece on his last tour, his songs and voice had a huge sound and impact, but the added players definitely added another dimension to his music. He doesn’t need to have all the trimmings of horns, strings or backing vocalists to get that big soul sound. It fills it out on record, but when you’re this talented and have such great songs with a tight, professional band backing you, sometimes less is more.

The first big note he hit drew cheers; such is the power and clarity of his voice. He has such range and such a high register that some people have mistaken him for a woman upon first listen. For their second track he went straight into one of his biggest and best numbers, the classic soul of That’s All I Wanted From You—a song so timeless that it sounds like it was written years ago.

Jalen has a polite stage manner and introduces most of the song titles. He doesn’t say lots, but it’s just enough, and he exudes effortless charisma. “It’s my first time in Perth, technically, as last time I was in Fremantle—they’re different, right?” He seemed to get some conflicting responses but confirmed that he’s really glad to be back here playing for us.

He dedicated Anyone in Love to “anyone who thinks they’re in love”, and with the beautiful Give Me Another Day, he got a “Give me” call and response thing going with the crowd. Then he swapped with the keyboard player—they grabbed a guitar, while he sat down at the keys and displayed more of this talent. As well as possessing an incredible, pure voice, Jalen is also a talented keyboard and guitar player. His great backing band know their pace and when to break it down. And if anything, after another year or so touring, they’re even more polished.

Next up he played us a track that’s not quite released yet, asking if there are any Hannahs in the crowd. A squeal in the audience seemed to prove there was at least one present. It was another classic-sounding jam, with the repeating phrase “Hannah! What’s the matter, baby?”

“This one’s been out for about a year,” he said, introducing Just As Long As We’re Together, with its cool, high-end bass riff. And played another new song, What It Gave Me, jamming with the keyboard player, pulling out some nifty guitar riffs over a keyboard solo that sounded a bit like The Doors.

He dropped another fresh track, stating, “This song came out yesterday,” referring to the swinging title track of the upcoming album, “Doctrine Of Love”. Then the band left the stage, giving Jalen the chance to play a couple of songs solo. This is where he really shines, and his true talent is most evident.

First singing a beautiful version of Hattie Littles’ 1962 classic Your Love Is Wonderful with the guitar that had the room transfixed, then sitting down at the keyboard to play a cool cover of Burt Bacharach’s The Look Of Love, with some impressive skills on the keys, which he dedicated to “everyone who listens to Burt Bacharach every now and then.” He always likes to play a couple random old covers in his shows, and it’s always a highlight, as he does them such justice, making them his own.

He brought the band back out for Train Conductor, taking things back into a smooth, swinging, big band sound, which got everyone moving again. “I love playing here—you got a good energy,” he said sincerely. “This is the last one. It’s dedicated to anyone who’s delusional,” which led into his 2024 single Illusions that saw him tearing it up on the keys. A polite bow, and they left the stage – but the crowd were fired up, screaming for more.

He soon returned, in his red shirt and tie, sans jacket. “OK, I got one more in the bag,” he said, leading into his big single, If You Don’t Want My Love, which he ended in classic style, hitting a huge high note, before the band all finished together on a climatic drum roll. Since his last visit a year ago, Jalen has levelled up his game. What a talent. Ladies and Gentlemen, the future of soul.

ALFRED GORMAN

Photos by Linda Dunjey