English Teacher
Roundhouse
26th November 2025

Last year’s Mercury Prize winners English Teacher combine incredible musicianship with gorgeous songs and tempered aggression on their biggest headline tour to date.

Without fanfare or any kind of dramatic intro, the five members of one of the bands of the moment stepped onto the Roundhouse’s illustrious stage and got on with their business. They looked unassuming, but were ready to deliver a set of stunning originality. They let the music do the talking.

English Teacher are one of those rare hyped outfits who seem to have the ability and songwriting chutzpah to exceed expectations. Based on this performance, they are also a group whose critical reputation will only grow rather than wither from the sheer weight of early acclaim.

Opening up with the title track from their Mercury Prize-winning debut album This Could Be Texas, they moved effortlessly from the aching beauty of the main piano melody into a track that builds slowly to a more raucous and experimental climax. There was no apparent nervousness despite the capacity crowd.

As well as being outstanding musicians, English Teacher showed that they have captivating songs to match. 

Guitarist Lewis Whiting was riveting to watch. He switched deftly from absorbing arpeggios into slicing, spacey, experimental solos. But none of it sounded indulgent; it was, instead, perfectly fitting. From the first song, it was evident that this was a group formed of musicians who really know what they’re doing. Most switched between several instruments, including drummer Douglas Frost who got up from behind the kit to move to keyboards for a few of the gentler, more ruminative numbers. Touring cellist Blossom Caldarone added underpinning poignancy, fleshing out the four-piece guitar band sound, and sometimes moving to keyboards, while bass player Nicholas Eden gives the songs an edgy insistence. 

Of course, the most compelling presence on stage was lead vocalist Lily Fontaine. Small in stature, she possessed an impassioned aura which seemed to rise to every part of the circular Roundhouse venue. On the slow-building The Best Tears of Your Life and on new song Billboards her voice had a soaring, crystalline quality – a voice which stops you in your tracks. Wow, she can really sing.

Rhythmically, English Teacher serve up an intriguing blend, part fiddly math-rock, part elegiac psychedelia, part funky, off-kilter jazz, and sometimes just straight-ahead indie rock. They seem to be able to do it all, and make it look easy.

This is a band that still looks so youthful that the maturity of their interaction is disarming. They are only going to get better.

~

Words by Tom Parry, you can find his author’s archive here plus on Twitter and his website

All photos © Paul Grace. For more of Paul’s photos go to his archive. Paul is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his websites are www.paulgrace-eventphotos.co.uk & www.pgrace.co.uk.