Rilo Kiley Play First London Show in 19 Years at the Roundhouse

Nineteen years is a long gap between visits to the same city, and when Rilo Kiley walked onto the Roundhouse stage, the room felt the weight of that absence. The Los Angeles band last performed in London in 2005, before their breakup and the solo careers that followed. This return, captured in Burak Cingi’s photographs, wasn’t framed as a reunion narrative. It played out more like a quiet recalibration of what the group means to audiences who grew up with their early records.

Rilo Kiley’s sound always balanced sharp lyricism with a melodic instinct that pulled from country, pop, and 90s indie rock. At the Roundhouse, that balance held. The setlist drew from across their catalogue, avoiding obvious nostalgia traps. Cingi’s images show a band comfortable in its history but not beholden to it, with Jenny Lewis at the centre, direct and unhurried.

The choice of the Roundhouse, a venue tied to London’s evolving live music landscape, suited the moment. The show felt less like a victory lap and more like a statement that some bands don’t need constant activity to stay relevant. They just need to know when to come back.