LIVE REVIEW: Ministry @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

We at Distorted Sound Magazine had the opportunity to see MINISTRY and CHELSEA WOLFE at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, and what a fantastically intense and empowering show it was. This venue has housed many great acts in its time, and now the great MINISTRY has graced their stage, along with the phenomenally mysterious CHELSEA WOLFE.

CHELSEA WOLFE starts dark, both literally and musically. The first thing we hear from this performance is the distorted electronics of Carrion Flowers. Far from its tamer existence on record, both this track and the rest of the set is seductive and surprisingly heavy. The Californian-born musician possesses a voice in which the magnitude is overwhelmingly apparent in a live setting. The entire set, from start to finish, manages to ooze a dark, ethereal presence that demands attention; this attention is given even by those here to solely see the headliner, MINISTRY.

The forty-minute setlist had an even split of tracks from CHELSEA WOLFE’s two most recent albums, including Vex, Spun, and 16 Psyche. In addition to this, the group played two earlier tracks: Demons and Feral Love. During the latter half of the set, the singer opted to put down her guitar and move across the stage both on her feet and, at one point, on her knees. Overall, CHELSEA WOLFE set up perfectly for MINISTRY, and is a truly magnetic entity to witness live when given the rare chance to see her in the UK.

Rating: 8/10

Words: Chloe Leonard

Despite the late start, MINISTRY exploded onto the stage with the power of an atom bomb, starting with I Know Words, leading into some psychedelic visuals and trippy musical segments, in line with speeches and graphics regarding the Trump presidency. The stage presence of the band as a whole was incredibly intense, every member in perfect synchronicity and performing belter after belter. The energy and atmosphere was exhilarating and suffocating, half due to the venue being packed to the doors in an intense, sweltering heat, and half because for some reason the crowd managed to muster up energy for the majority of songs despite this. Throughout the performance there were intermittent breaks where the band would address the crowd and briefly “talk” about the Trump administration, before kicking it back into gear with another intense song.

Immense tracks such as Punch in the Face, Victims of a Clown, Wargasm, and Antifa were played with such ferocity that at one point you could almost swear that the room was shaking. The setlist as a whole was powerful and full of tracks that even those who aren’t mega fans of MINISTRY would at least recognise a few. As the night drew on, through the 14 track setlist and the two encores, not once did the musicianship and showmanship waver, even as the crowd was melting onto the floor as one sweaty amalgamation of flesh, writhing to the beat. To conclude, MINISTRY’s performance was overflowing with energy and pure talent with every song, even on the intense humidity of the venue.

Rating: 8/10

Words: Christopher Harding

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Jorden Mclaughlin Photography here: