The Intermission Project at YHA London St Paul’s

A rooftop in St Paul’s is the setting for the final show of the YHA Road Trip, which has seen Ashford act The Intermission Project tour the countryside for the past week. The young trio is visibly tired from their adventures, but are all smiles and chatty with the ever-increasing crowd as show time draws near.

Comprised of Jim Rubaduka on lead vocals and guitar, multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist Alex Stevens, and Charlie Campbell on the drums, the lads have a squeaky clean image that proves to be germane to their straight-up indie folk sound.

The band are met with a warm reception but Rubaduka jokes that the audience might not still be applauding by the end of the set, and is quick to cheekily put the onus on their sound guy for any mistakes that may occur. Nevertheless, the show gets underway behind Stay and Sorry, the latter of which is the title track from the band’s upcoming EP. 

Sorry is a good example of The Intermission Project’s sound – hopeful, unapologetically optimistic and brimming with youthful spirit. Think the jauntiness of Mumford & Sons, but with less urgency, and an underlining hint of Michael Kiwanuka soul driven by strong pop sensibilities.

It’s a style that the three-piece have down pat, effectively using handclaps on a couple of tracks, busting out the harmonica for Ribbons and showing off smooth harmonies on Find a Way Home.

As the set progresses, Rubaduka’s prediction of diminishing returns remains unfounded. Even though there seems to be an embedded hype-man, who woops at the end of each song, their prompting isn’t necessary as the crowd is more than willing to supply ample appreciation.

Second-to-last song Oh My is the stand-out of the evening. The band encourages some audience participation and they respond, happily singing the track’s simple, catchy hook. This frees up Rubaduka to let loose and the frontman hints at what he is vocally capable of, should The Intermission Project ever venture into less tame territory.

Finishing up on City Lights, it’s a triumphant end to the band’s week-long journey. The lads can now rest up in their own beds and enjoy some of their mothers’ cooking but it’s hard to imagine this unsigned band remaining at home or under the radar for long. They’ve got the look; they’ve got the sound, and now they just need the break.

Marc Zanotti
Photos: Jay Shaw-Baker

For further information and future events visit The Intermission Project’s website here.