Live Review: Wargasm – Explicit Tour – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

Rebellion, progression, and equality are three things London’s Wargasm strive for each and every time they step onto the stage, so what better way to get that message across then building a stacked lineup for their biggest Headline show to date. Knife Bride, Fearless Vampire Killers, and Scene Queen joined Wargasm in what promised to be a night of freedom and liberty in the form of some new wave rock and metal. Here’s what went down.

Taking to the stage first was Knife Bride who captured the hearts and minds of the London crowd with their unique blend of metal. Utilizing the entire stage, the band definitely didn’t lack charisma and their energy transferred into the early comers as Kentish Town was bouncing within a few songs. Despite being the first of 4 bands, Knife Bride capitalized on the opportunity presented to them by unleashing poppy metal tunes upon a more than welcoming audience. A powerful start to the night.

Following them was Fearless Vampire Killers, A dynamic rock outfit that delivers on both powerful riffs and an interesting stage presence. The way the band seamlessly changed vocalist and guitarist is an interesting spectacle that I haven’t seen before and it definitely left an impression on the crowd. Powerful vocals that echoed around the Forum helped lift spirits while heavy instrumentals got the first pit’s of the evening underway. This set was one that really set the tone for the rest of the night. High energy mixed with a bit of an attitude!

Scene Queen was up next and I think it’s safe to say the vast majority of the crowd were eagerly anticipating the return of the “Queen of Bimbocore”. A short yet explosive set saw tracks like ‘Pretty In Pink’, ‘Pink G-String’ and ‘Pink Rover’ receive huge reactions from the crowd. Everything from female only mosh pits, “Twerkle” Pits and a tsunami of crowd surfers would ensue and you’d be easily mistaken to think Scene Queen was headlining with the way the fans in attendance were engaged.

Nevertheless, Wargasm would take to the stage opening with the attitude fueled track ‘Super Fiend’ before diving head first into ‘D.R.I.L.D.O’ and ‘Salma Hayek’. Chaos would ensue as the pit would take up the majority of Kentish Town’s floor space and this would only become more intense during the track ‘Pyro Pyro’. Aggression, unity and all the energy one could muster was what Wargasm wanted and that’s exactly what they received.

‘Rage All Over’ was up next and unsurprisingly the crowd exploded into a frenzy, dancing and singing their night away as the band gave everything they had to the London faithful. The intensity only raised from there as tracks like ‘Fukstar’, ‘Postmodern Rhapsody’ and ‘God Of War’ continued Wargasm’s musical assault and the troops rallied in support with mosh pits and crowd surfers.

The battle of Kentish Town would continue with ‘Gold Gold Gold’ followed by ‘Your Patron Saints’ before an explosive cover of N*E*R*D’s ‘Lapdance’. Closing out the main set would be ‘Backyard Bastards’ however this wouldn’t be the end of the night. An encore featuring ‘The Void Stares Back’ performed with Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds, followed by the high octane track ‘Spit’ was enough to deplete the last of the energy reserves and send the London crowd home happy.

Wargasm have been one of the fastest growing acts in the UK rock and metal scene as of late and with a performance like this, it’s clear to see why. Their legion of fans are some of the most devoted I’ve seen and with the band able to introduce them to new exciting acts by constantly bringing unconventional support acts that push the boundaries of the “norm” is a recipe for a thriving and progressive Rock and Metal future!