Live Review: Exploring Birdsong at Islington Assembly Hall, London (24/09/26)

What a couple of months it has been for Exploring Birdsong. Releasing their fantastic debut album, ‘Every House We Built’ at the end of June via Long Branch Records. A record that then surpassed one million streams recently. Before embarking on a short, but very important UK tour last week.

Calling these shows ‘Birdsong Property Development company meetings’, which ties into the album metaphor of using houses to frame relationships, friendships, family ties and romance. Exploring Birdsong have clearly put a lot into making these shows an immersive experience. Something that works extremely well in this venue, Islington Assembly Hall.

The lighting, the stage, the sound, it is a fantastic venue for a certain kind of band, and Exploring Birdsong are that kind of band. Not only that, Every House We Built is an album meant for a stage like this and almost every single song (no Cartography) from it is aired.

The sense of anticipation in the air as the lights went down and Exploring Birdsong took to the stage was palpable. Straight away, it was abundantly clear that many people in the crowd were enamoured with them and feel a strong connection to what they do. It’s easy to see and hear why. Balancing a sense of humbleness with confidence, they smash their way through a strong set of songs with barely a word spoken. Which works because it’s music to focus on, music to sink into, and music to move to.

At first, it seemed as though they were going to give us a run-through of the album, starting off with the emotional potency of Archipelago (Lynsey Ward’s vocals are as strong live as they are on record). Before shifting energetically into 42, which is an alt-rock and pop banger. That one there is what brought the crowd to life.

I_You and an unexpected airing of The Collapse kept things ticking over nicely, but it was having the gorgeous Arrhythmia, the exciting experimental Spy in the House of Love (a personal favourite), the rocked up Romanticise, and the melancholic power of Footprints coming in a row that really made it special. I looked around the room at this point, taking in the crowd, seeing smiles on faces, and no small number of people dancing and jumping around. As I said, for some people, Exploring Birdsong are more than just a band.

It’s not the longest of sets, but it was packed out, and the band got the love they so deserved for approaching it with sincerity. Every House We Built is a special album, so to hear it get this kind of response live, was very heartening. From here, I’d say the only way is up for Exploring Birdsong and I think you’d struggle to find anyone in the room this night who would disagree.