LIVE REVIEW: Knocked Loose @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
In August 2023, KNOCKED LOOSE played a sold out show at The Dome in London. It was a memorable night full of crowd surfers and stage divers. Fast forward to six months later, with three new singles and an upcoming album in You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To on the horizon, the band conquered a sold out show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.
The first band to take to the stage are French hardcore group HEADBUSSA and although they are on 30 mins after doors are open, the place is quickly packed and immediately the energy and breakdowns from the band gets the crowd all riled up. A sign that the crowd is fully embracing the evening of chaos.
Rating: 8/10
DEAFHEAVEN are the second band to perform, and although there is a vast difference in genre with their more blackgaze-leaning sonics, especially on a hardcore packaged tour, it doesn’t really matter, it was evident that the set paired well with the loud and heaviness of the night. Frontman George Clarke leads the way, winning a crowd over that were mostly standing still but invested in the set. A fan favourite, Dream House, played out as the last song with a steady stream of crowd surfers causing mayhem towards the front.
Rating: 9/10
Just before KNOCKED LOOSE come on to play, the excitement in the room is reaching critical levels, especially as their banner appears on the stage. This leads to a lot of fans barking, which is the funniest experience when you know the context of the fact that one song was trending on social media the past year.
The band opens with one of their newer singles, Deep In The Willow, which makes it exciting to witness especially since a lot of the time, it would be safer to open with older well known material, but not for this crowd. The fanbase had enough time to absorb the new songs and it showed, the loud cheering and mosh pits from the get go took over the venue. The band, especially frontman, Bryan Garris makes everyone feel at ease, and hearing the place scream “KNOCKED LOOSE MOTHERFUCKER!” as soon as the breakdown hits, gave goosebumps.
DEAFHEAVEN‘s George Clarke joins the band as guest for God Knows, showing solid respect for someone who only performed just beforehand. At this stage, the energy in the room is palpable, the mosh pits are everywhere, to the point where nowhere is safe, which is the biggest sign that the night is memorable. Is it really a hardcore show, if you don’t see someone push past with a bloody face?
Blinding Faith may be just a few weeks old, but the reception to the song being performed is received so well, hearing fans screaming along to “Bend the knee Child of God” lyric is so cathartic. For a band that is well known for the “arf arf” (Counting Worms) song, they accepted it and just proved to everyone how much darker and heavier they can be and that is something to be admired for. The uniqueness of Bryan Garris’ vocals compliments the tone of the music, and that’s what makes this band so well liked. At this show, particularly at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, nothing was gonna stop this band, not even a barrier that separates them and the crowd. Even with the lack of stage divers, it doesn’t bring down the intensity of the show.
Knocked Loose ends the set with Everything Is Quiet Now but despite all the sweatiness, and energy spent, it leaves you wanting more. With the new album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To being released soon, and an upcoming US tour with LOATHE, SHOW ME THE BODY and SPEED as supports, the future’s looking bright for KNOCKED LOOSE.
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Sarah Tsang here:
Like KNOCKED LOOSE on Facebook.