Mirrors

Mirrors Festival returned to Hackney, London for its second year. After a bumper first year, it would’ve been a massive shame if this one day music festival didn’t return for another. Dedicated to supporting the finest in forward-thinking music, audience experience is at the forefront of everything. The music festival itself is across Hackney, spread over six varying, unique venues: Oslo, Hackney Picturehouse, St John At Hackney, Moth Club, Stage 3 and Paper Dress Vintage – all within a stone’s throw of each other.

This area is known for its nightlife, but there was even more of a palpable buzz around the streets where each venue resided – all mixed in with the Halloween celebrations, it was a hub of colour and sound. Being able to jump from venue to venue with ease meant you were never bored, and you could experience a whole range of music.

We managed to watch at least one performance in each venue, each an apt setting for the talent on offer. Leif Erikson eased us in with their dulcet tones and smooth guitars at Stage 3, before we moved onto Oslo to see Babeheaven – the West Londoners delivered their soul, trip-hop electronic to a receptive crowd, ever swaying to the melodies. St John At Hackney was one of the most striking venues of the six – fantastically open, the acoustic quality is unmatched. Liv Dawson’s voice filled the venue with effortless beauty – a superb set.

After re-energising in Oslo with a lovely burger, we made our way over to Moth Club, to see someone we’ve really been looking forward to seeing – Miya Folick. The venue was gold and glam, with glitter ceilings and gold draped material across the stage. The American alt-rock artist is relatively new to many listeners’ music libraries, and the set was breathtaking.

After seeing Cherry Glazerr smash it in Oslo, Eddie Argos was awesome at Paper Dress Vintage; his catchy beats and spoken word were a nice alternative to the rest of the music festival. Not wanting to miss the headliners we ducked out early to head over to St John At Hackney.

Bat For Lashes is well known across the UK circuit, establishing herself over the years with the multi-instrumental imagination always associated with her. Combining that with the venue, it made for a great finale to Mirrors Festival.

Two years in and the music festival is going from strength to strength, attracting bigger acts and introducing some fantastic talent in some of the best venues. We’ll be seeing you next year.