Max Jury, St Pancras Old Church, review: Lana Del Rey's protege is an old soul with a softly powerful voice

It's not difficult to see why Lana Del Rey chose singer-songwriter Max Jury to support her at numerous gigs recently - they both harness a wistful melancholia, yet Jury's adds a gentleness and a subtlety that goes beyond his 21 years.

Jury's star maybe on the rise, but one hopes that he will never stop playing intimate venues like St Pancras Old Church, where his hushed, hazy, country vocals sat well with the candlelight and imposing windows. The mood felt quietly beatific; his songs like Americana hymns.

Switching between the keyboard and the acoustic guitar, he sung an hour-long ode to sadness, without ever being morose, cliched or overly sentimental. He has a very listenable, gentle, almost graceful, voice more impactful than many other aspiring troubadour peers.

His cover of Del Rey's “West Coast” stripped the song to its lyrics, adding a newfound delicacy. “Black Metal” was as far removed from the titled music subgenre as imaginable, but hauntingly affecting. “Christian Eyes”, about a pastor's daughter who wasn't interested in him, has a moodier quality; with references to his long-term idol, Gram Parsons.

There's something comfortingly familiar about Jury; an old soul with a softly powerful voice born to tell stories.