LIVE REVIEW: Glassjaw @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

GLASSJAW have achieved a long-standing career, supported by a huge fanbase that span across multiple heavy music genres. It all started in 2000, with the release of Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence, their debut album’s release. The band had reportedly originally planned 20th anniversary shows for the record in 2020, which, just like so many of our plans, had to be scrapped in the wave of the pandemic. Instead, this weekend, the band combine those original plans with the 20th anniversary of their second, cult-favourite record, playing Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence on the Friday, followed by Worship and Tribute on the Saturday.

Before GLASSJAW dive into their nostalgic set however, support comes from Liverpool-based band LOATHE. They walk out to GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS’ You’ll Never Walk Alone, most likely as Liverpool were about to step out onto the pitch at the Champions League final just as the band were taking the stage.

The band’s set takes the crowd through the motions of their short but varied career so far. Considering they only have a six year old discography under their belt, LOATHE have delved into heavy metal, shoegaze and ambient influences, which all show themselves tonight. A highlight of their set is definitely the track White Hot, which featured on a split with Cardiff’s HOLDING ABSENCE in 2017. The band showcase the best elements of their heavy side here, with chugging guitars mixing with the clean vocals of the main chorus hook.

This is all flipped on its head however, when they transition into those more atmospheric moments of their soundboard – with 2020’s Two-Way Mirror. This track in particular was well-received upon its release, however was highly compared to DEFTONES due to its haunting moaning vocals with delayed guitars and moments of pause before a collateral commotion; live, however, this fills the room in a way that makes it clear that LOATHE are here to be themselves, and deliver their sound with complete dedication. It’s clear why this band have achieved such critical acclaim, and have featured on so many lineups over the last few years.

Rating: 8/10

As GLASSJAW casually waltz onto the stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking off-the-bat that this may be a low-effort performance, as the band spend a good thirty seconds just sort of – standing – with no lights to show them or the crowd. That is until, the opening guitar for Tip Your Bartender leaps in, greeted by genuine excitement from 2,300 people trying to sing along to the riff with low-toned “duh duh duh duh”s. GLASSJAW have never been a ‘showy’ band. They play their set with an authenticity, without any demands of the crowd. Daryl Palumbo sways around the stage, almost juxtaposing the hard hits of the band’s sound, as he calmly approaches the front of the stage to sing out to his onlookers.

There’s no nuances in tonight’s set as GLASSJAW play the album true to record. It sounds just as clear and precise as it did 20 years ago – it seems completely effortless. Fan favourites Mu Empire, Cosmopolitan Blood Loss and Ape Dos Mil are greeted with roaring cheers from the crowd, who manage to out-sing Palumbo multiple times throughout the evening. When the band finish Worship and Tribute, the polish off the set with newer material, New White Extremity. It seems for a while, that we may be treated to another album in full, as the band storm their way through the running trackless of 2017’s Material Control. That is until they go off-script, chopping off the album’s latter half, finishing the set after Golgotha with Cut and Run.

Despite somewhat of a cult-following, GLASSJAW are notoriously argued over when it comes to their live shows – with many reports from their own fans saying hey can be hit and miss. Tonight however, they deliver with a zest, showing the same excitement for their earlier material as they do their most recent. The sound is thick, true to record and executed with precision. While they’re not the most theatrical live band, there is nothing lazy or lacklustre about tonight’s performance. Rather, they deliver a set that is exemplary of a band who know exactly what they’re doing, and do it very, very well.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Dev Place Photos here: 

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