The chemistry between Lavrov and Troinenko was evident of much practice, with the dialogue between their parts flowing seemingly effortlessly throughout the performance. The sense of cohesion within their performance showed a clear understanding of sonata form and its strengths, allowing them to create a clear narrative throughout the piece from beginning to end, remaining engaging throughout. The fact that the performance felt concise in spite of the piece’s 9 minute runtime is a testament to how engaging Lavrov and Troinenko are as performers. Lavrov moved beautifully while playing, showing the emotion of the piece on his face as well as through his movement and music. Troinenko played with equally as much passion and urgency, never overstepping the role of an accompanist while still commanding attention by the power and brilliance of his contribution to the performance.

It came as no surprise to me to discover at the end of the concert that Lavrov and Troinenko had won the event, despite tough competition from all of the other ensembles. I hope that this performance will be the first of many collaborations between the two musicians and I look forward to seeing what the pair perform in future.

Taking to the stage alone, his nervous humour is immediately apparent, joking with the audience about his jet-lag, his love of the British slang word “trollied” as an American, and his comically small guitar, before launching into 2018’s Livin’ Loose, an irresistible slice of chillwave and a firm fan favourite. Enthusiastically throwing himself around the small stage, Clanton’s demeanour changes immediately to that of a confident performer commanding the audience. He suddenly has a venue full of cultish fans in the palm of his hand, his silhouette writhing in front of the LED screen as he wails into the microphone.

Clanton’s confidence and audience engagement only grows throughout the night. By the anthemic, fuzzed-out Fucking Up My Life he’s letting his samplers run themselves and throwing himself gleefully at the audience, grabbing fans hands and rubbing them on his face, and even more bizarrely, as he revealed at the end of the track, getting “kissed on the eyeball”.

His last track before a generous encore was the powerful You Lost Me There, a cinematic synth ballad about saying goodbye. The enormity of his sound, texturally and emotionally, was most evident here, with Clanton stood precariously on the barrier supported by the front row of fans singing “If you come back again, we can convene and make it forever”, a line printed on some t-shirts worn by fans. Everyone sings it back at him.

His encore begins with a pair of tracks from his instrumental side project ESPRIT 空想, the latter of which, Aurora Summer (ESPRIT 空想 Remix), is pushed deep into drum and bass territory, with Clanton manipulating his samplers and mixers improvisationally and taking the concert to higher energy levels than any of the rest of the night. Having successfully turned the venue into a rave, he thanks the audience sincerely and begins the final song of the night, saving the best for last with Bleed, from his solo debut. Swirling synthesisers fill the song’s wordless chorus as he takes in the last of the night from the stage. He knows nobody will be forgetting that gig any time soon.