Live Review: Mothica – Kissing Death UK/EU Tour – The Dome, London

This might be Mothica’s first UK headline tour, but McKenzie Ellis is no stranger to the stage, having performed countless times in America including both headline slots and appearances alongside big acts like Coheed and Cambria. However with the release of her critically acclaimed new album ‘Kissing Death’, it only feels right for Mothica to finally make her UK headline debut, bringing her unique sound and raw emotional lyrics to UK fans who have been waiting so long for this moment. Joined by Artio and Starbenders, the night promised to be a great showcase of the alternative scene. Here’s what went down.

If you’ve been anywhere near an alternative show in the last year, there’s a good chance you’re already aware of this show’s first support Artio. The band have been bringing their energy-packed sets to stages across the UK, including appearances at Slam Dunk and 2000 Trees, and tonight was no different. Despite a minor technical issue with their playback, lead Rae Brazill kept the energy high by improvising and teaching the crowd the chorus to ‘Pyrokid’. The early arrivers bounced along, quickly warming up to the set.

Following their set would be the glamorous Starbenders, who launched in straight away with ‘Blood Moon’, quickly followed by ‘Holy Mother’. If you’d walked in during their set you might have thought this was one of the Atlanta, Georgia-based band’s own headliner shows, this could not be felt more than when the band played ‘Tokyo’. Released literally the day of the show, it was really impressive to see the audience ready to get down, with some even already seemingly knowing the lyrics.

The anticipation in the room could be felt as The Dome started to reach capacity. When the house lights dimmed, the crowd erupted in cheers, welcoming Mothica to her debut UK headline show. Gracefully entering the stage to album opener ‘The Void’, Mothica’s overflowing red sleeves seamlessly danced behind her as she began to give the London crowd their first taste of ‘Kissing Death’. Breaking the metaphorical barrier between her and the fans, Mothica instantly used the intimacy of the venue to her advantage reaching out and physically connecting with the London masses.

Mothica truly makes Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ her own, as she goes into her cover that holds up as well as the original, completely reimagining the song. “You saved my life, Mothica” came a call from the audience (not once but twice) as the artist paused to share her story of attempting to take her life at fifteen, before leading into ‘forever fifteen’. The fans showed their dedication and love during this song by holding up their phone lights with pre-prepared paper hearts to colour them.

How do you end a set full of emotionally heavy songs? By unifying everyone in a fun sing-along, of course! And what better way to do that than with a cover of ‘All Star’? As Mothica put it, “if there’s something we all have in common, it’s that we’ve all seen the 2001 hit film ‘Shrek’.” It was the perfect cap to an excellent show.