Ashes & Architecture, and the London Artist Everyone Should Be Watching
Arriving at 180 Café, I was greeted warmly by Inder Paul Sandhu, the artist himself, his friends, and team, and the first thing I saw was the literal warmth everyone irradiated.
I'm not sure what to call Ashes & Architecture. Part poetry reading, part gig, part live art piece, it moved between spoken word, song and guitar, with a band of exceptional musicians behind the artist - Inder Paul Sandhu. Held on Monday 12th of October at the Reference Point on Strand, Inder Paul would read a few poems, then sing, then pick up his guitar, and each form fed into the next. Musically, it sat somewhere between jazz and soul. The band was the perfect accompaniment to his art, the mood of the room was one of sharing and friendship, and the art was just on point.
The show takes its name from his book, and accompanying album, Ashes & Architecture, a poetic and visual chronicle , published in November 2025, which he describes as bridging chaos and clarity, loss and reconstruction. His performance matched that description in emotion and in the message it shared.
What I'll remember most isn't any single poem. It's the room. His family, friends and loved ones had all come to support him, and it felt like I was being let into their house, into a gathering . Before the show even started, he was running around, introducing everyone to each other, and hugging every single person that arrived. Many of them were decked out in Exodus, the clothing brand he founded and owns. Everyone was filming with pride and wanting to be part of every moment. They sang along and shouted their compliments and support at him mid-song and mid-poem. They said it, but I saw it - they were proud of him, and I have no doubt they have always been there to support him in every endeavour.
Meeting Inder Paul was a privilege in itself, beyond getting to review the show. You might expect an artist on opening night to be nervous or focused only on the performance, perhaps even a bit distant from the crowd before the show starts. Sandhu was looking after every guest. He seemed to know each person he'd invited, and he introduced people to one another when he thought they'd connect. He took the time to remember everyone’s interests and background, connecting us to each other and acting as if he and his show were an after thought of this get-together amongst friends. He kept saying how blessed he felt, and he was visibly grateful to everyone who had come. It's rare to see an artist who cares this much, not only about his work, but the people around it - and him - too.
It was so perfectly obvious that this was more than a job, a message or a moment of inspiration. There's real passion behind every drop of art he makes, and in this day and age of technology, AI, massive consumption, and constant marketing, it feels like a way to disconnect from the world, a wave of fresh air.
At the end of the night he spoke to me, and he couldn't stop talking about how blessed he felt and how proud he is of how far his work has gone. “I’m happy my art is taking its rightful space and it’s not being treated with a concealment spirit but it’s being treated with a medicinal kind of spirit. I’m so excited for where this is going to go - where the work has gone, it’s amazing! The MoMA, The Getty, St Alban’s Cathedral”. And more places have already shown his work. He said he sees doors opening, and that his work keeps on reaching new places.
But what I'd call literal artistic gold was his insight on consumption. He told me that once he “(...) stepped away from the consumer wheel and dedicated myself to creating, the work I made was more beautiful and made me proud.” In an age of overconsumption and saturation, where almost everything we see and do comes from or leads to consumption, an artist who consumes less and creates more gives his art more value.
I can only describe it like this: it felt like your grandma cooking a special meal. When she tells you the secret ingredient is love, and no food tastes like hers, even if you follow the recipe exactly.
Plenty of people could play the guitar, sing, or stage a show in a space as cool as the Reference Point Café. Almost no one could put in the same love and dedication, because it only comes from the heart and can't be recreated any other way. It was visible in his work, it was visible in his network of support, and, most of all, it was visible in the energy of pure pride, gratefulness and joy he exuded himself.
If you want a good jazz and soul night, or a beautiful poetry reading, or a book that fills your heart, you'll find all of that here. There are many good poets in London, but what makes his work exceptional is what you feel when you walk through his doors. You see talent, but you also see community, passion, and adoration for his work and for every person in his life. He creates from love and shares that love. He is the artist he is because of the love that surrounds him.
A good artist is talented, but a great artist loves and is loved - and I don’t just mean his work.
Nothing about the night disappointed, and it exceeded every expectation. The proof was in the room. Everyone I spoke to was happy to be there and proud of him, and I kept hearing people gush about the work. The show was due to close at 10, and for a while nobody left. Friends and family stayed on, helping him close up and talking late into the night.
In a city where individualism usually reigns, Sandhu has built something that feels familiar, like a home. It takes a special dedication, and a lot of love, which not everyone has. He is, for sure, one of London's artists to watch. Everyone should be looking out for his creations and the spaces he's in, because once you've been in the room, you'll want to be part of it.
Edited by Emily Bunder, London Editor
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