Gustaffson Bring Cinematic Emotion and Creative Pop to The Courtyard Theatre
- Dave Broome
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The Courtyard Theatre, Shoreditch, East London 27th November 2025
IMAGES / WORDS DAVE BROOME
Gustaffson are an interesting entity. Formed out of a friendship between Andrew
Gower and James Webster in 2020 they have slowly built a small body of work and
generated no shortage of media interest. Gower, a singer-songwriter may be better
known for his acting roles in hit TV shows such as Black Mirror and Outlander. In
fact, it was while on a film set that Gower met Elbow musician and producer Crag
Potter which led to their first foray into recording and the release of the debut EP,
“The Jacaranda”. Since then, it has been a slow but steady flow of music
culminating in the release of their album, Black & White Movie earlier this year.
Fast forward a few months and here we are at the Courtyard Theatre, in trendy
Shoreditch, East London. It’s a venue that welcomes all sorts of performance art,
which seems a suitable venue for a band such as Gustaffson.
We are in the studio theatre, a small but adequate room with capacity for around 100
people. The room isn’t full, but there is a decent size crowd, certainly enough to
create a good atmosphere. I would describe Gustaffson’s music as creative pop with
a hint of jazz and a dollop of soul. As such, I’m not expecting an onslaught of ear-
splitting guitars but a selection of well-crafted pop songs. Before the music however,
there is some poetry in the form of Hussain Manawer. He shares his work which
covers topics such as grief, being single and playground memories. Accompanied
by Joe on guitar it makes for a very entertaining start to the evening. His sincerity
and easy-going personality soon win over the audience. He closes with a poem
called “Unity”, its heartfelt and poignant.
On the dot of 9, the band come on stage and start off with Champagne Socialist.
The sound is perfect and the band are super tight. They have known each other and
played together for some years and it’s likely that the success of Gower’s acting has
stopped them doing more as a band. However, is that about to change, more than
once they hint and tease that 2026 is going to be a big year for them and the fans?
“Dance to the Algorithm” is introduced as being inspired by a phrase that Giles
Martin (son of George) once used. The track makes great use of the Wurlitzer organ
that’s getting a good workout tonight. The theatrics are not left backstage; there is a
sense of theatre to many of the performances. “Flowers” for example generates so
much emotion, there is a distinct tear in the eye of the frontman. “Red Town” is
dedicated to his dad and the “Belfast Gang” a reference to the cast and crew of a
shoot he did in Ireland. His day job is well represented here, I only spoke to two
people before the show, one is a successful director and the other (his wife) is a
BAFTA winning actress.
For “Closer” we’re invited to literally get closer to the band and move right up to the
edge of the stage. Now huddled together in a tight group, the crowd are treated to
the final song of the night, which is Northern Baby - a beautiful track that has a
glorious piano backdrop. The crowd shuffle out of the studio and into the cold east
London night as if it’s a scene from one of Gower’s movies. I’m sensing more music
and less acting for the year ahead and these fans at least won’t be too disappointed
with that.
SET LIST
1. Champagne Socialist
2. Some Kind of Sweden
3. Paris in Summer
4. The Jacaranda
5. Dance to Algorithm
6. St Francis
7. Red Town
8. Flowers
9. Closer
10. Avignon
11. Underground
12. On Broadway
13. Northern Baby
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