Live Review: The Cinelli Brothers + True Strays

The Grace, London – October 25^th, 2026

Reviewer / Photographer – Paul Dubbelman

The Cinelli Brothers delivered an ebullient performance in celebration of their latest album release, ‘Fresco‘ before a full house at The Grace, supported by True Strays, the Bristol-based americana and roots band, performing as a duo. Fronted by Marco (Keys, Guitar) and Alessandro “Ale” Cinelli (Drums) and backed up by Tom “JJ” Julian Jones (Guitar and Harmonica) Jorma Gasperi (Bass), and with a string of successful UK dates behind them, the band were in fine form ahead of the European leg of their Fresco Tour.

For those not familiar with The Grace, it is cosy, and with a capacity 150-head crowd it was ultra-cosy. The stage is equally tiny, with barely enough room for a lively four-piece and all their kit. Add to that the challenge of fitting the True Strays double bass, cajon, kick snare and guitars and there was definitely not enough room to swing the proverbial cat. The True Strays duo of James Cameron (guitars) and Joe James (double bass) clambered over amps, leads, and other stage litter to take their places and pick up their instruments.

Their set opens with ‘Oh My Love‘, a hard driving frenzy of Slide and Bass riffs that immediately grabs the crowd’s attention before slipping into a mellower vein with ‘Phoenix‘. ‘Rat Race‘ is dedicated to capitalism and features a suitably dirty blues riff. One of their best-known songs, ‘Let Your Heart Lead The Way‘ encourages the crowd to join in on the chorus. ‘Heal The Haunted‘ is a slice of pure Americana and is followed by the country blues-hued ‘Campesina‘ and one from way back in their catalogue ‘Ain’t Good Enough‘. There isn’t room for James and Joe to leave the stage to come back for an encore, so they roll straight into ‘Roadhouse Blues‘ to bring their set to a rousing finale.

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Setlist

Oh My Love
Phoenix
Rat Race
Let Your Heart Lead The Way
Hail The Haunted
Campesina
Ain’t Good Enough
Roadhouse Blues

With True Strays’ Instruments removed from the stage, Marco’s keyboard installed front and centre, it was the turn of the Cinelli Brothers to squeeze onto that small-but-perfectly-formed stage and give the crowd what they had come for – a night of soul, funk and rock as only the Cinellis can deliver. From the start, the band appeared relaxed and eager to perform, and that showed through in their performance.

The set opened in a soul-filled vein with deep bass grooves and funky drums underpinning Marco’s swirling keys and rich vocal, while JJ’s understated guitar added depth on new songs ‘Heaven‘, and ‘Nobody Like You‘, the latter having a delightfully funky groove. Things got a lot rockier with more newbies ‘Fuel To The Fire‘ and ‘More Than A Woman‘. The pace was picked up on their cover of ‘Polk Salad Annie‘, a regular feature of their live set and one which sees the whole band at their most playful as the song turns into an extended jam session where every member gets a chance to shine.

After all that effort it’s only fair that the band catch their breath and bring the pace down a bit with ‘Last Cigarette‘. This strays dangerously close to jazz territory, but Marco’s smoky vocal and JJ’s harmonica bring a smile to many faces and a shuffle to many feet. The band take the vibe right back up again with a hi-octane take on ‘Jumping Jack Flash‘ to keep the party bubbling. The rest of the band take a short break while Ale entertains us with a drum solo, including plenty of congas and cowbell, that also shows his subtlety and finesse behind the kit. The end of the set approaches far too quickly and the band close out with another new one from ‘Fresco‘, ‘The G.O.A.T.‘ which, if there was any right in the world, would be climbing the pop charts right now. Of course the crowd are not letting them go that easily and the band are called back for an encore. They oblige with another favourite, ‘Choo Ma Gum‘ a blues groover that guarantees to get bodies swaying and feet tapping before a sudden burst of guitar signals the start of ‘Wild Thing‘ which gives the full house crowd one last lift to take them home.

Whether it is in a small intimate space like The Grace, or bigger stages, The Cinelli Brothers refuse to take a foot off the gas, always delivering a high energy set of well-crafted songs imbued with a sense of wicked fun, whilst enjoying every moment of the performance themselves.