As the gilded hall fills, with no support act to satiate the anticipation, the collective excitement in the room is palpable. A chorus of gentle strings cut through as 9pm hit, alongside dissipating smoke and a spotlight to reveal the already towering Machine Gun Kelly, mounted on the top of elaborate stage set. As lighting dims to a soft pink hue, the delicate introduction to ‘papercuts’ kicks off the evening to roars of adoration.

The dedication of his followers is exemplified by the collective chorus being sang back to the stage, as he gifts the crowd the live debut of his latest single ‘PRESSURE’, released just the day before. Despite his status as one of most polarizing figures in the music at the moment, his stage presence is pleasantly personable and engaging, naturally interacting with the audience, even throughout some technical difficulties, filling the dead space with a cup of tea and crowd patter.

Once the tea is drunk and obligatory British accented patter, obligatory from any American visiting the Royal Albert Hall, is complete, he jolts the performance back into full throttle, charges through a diverse selection of his back catalogue, sprinkling in an impressive 30 tracks throughout the entire performance. The setlist was moulded in favour of his pop punk proclivities but there were plenty of nods to his genre traversing back catalogue, making for a truly unique experience.

Alongside his high octane band, including his formidably talented British guitarist Sophie Lloyd, Machine Gun Kelly boastes his multi-instrumental prowess throughout the show. Navigating his way comfortably through guitars and soundboards, not to mention his unwaning dynamic vocal delivery, seamlessly transitioning between blazingly rapid rap verses and emotionally intense melodic moments.

Already eight tracks in, the surface barely scratched, the familiar twang of one of his most popular tracks, ‘forget me to’, rung out. The already elated audience are bordering on mania as he welcomes Halsey to the stage to duet their hit single. Their collaboration translates unforgettably live, the charged lyrics and chemistry of their shared history, harmonizing into a captivating stand-out moment in a night with plenty of competition. A further special guest appearances materialises in the form of James Arthur, lending his rich and resonate talent to a cover of Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up’, as well as their own 2017 release, ‘Go for Broke’.

The night marches ahead, showcasing the diversity of his appeal, blending metal riffs with elements usually at home on Sound Cloud. Although his unapologetic refusal to stay boxed within one musical style has garnered much hate throughout his career, this evening is a resounding rebuttal to the critics. It’s a masterful demonstration of his genre-less reach, with the freedom to perform alongside a dynamic and diverse array of stage sets, switching to suit the atmosphere.

The powerfully grandeur strings of The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ sweep across the venue, signaling the night is entering an energy reprieve, before launching into a symphonic rendition of ‘I Think I’m OKAY’, comfortably at home in the regal setting, followed by stirring deliveries of his rawest tracks ‘last november’ and ‘lonely’.

The comparative calm is swiftly replaced as the atmosphere boasting a lack of inhibitions, Kelly has presented us with an impressive array of his pop punk heavy hitters, delighting the awe-struck audience. One final surprise is delivered in a Gorillaz shaped gift box, with Machine Gun Kelly launching into an unexpectedly brilliant cover of ‘Feel Good Inc’, complete with soundboard clips and flexing of his rap mettle.

He may be divisive but there is no questioning his undeniable charisma and ability to charm his crowd – closing out the evening with the battle cry – “you’re all stuck with me for the rest of your fucking lives”.

KAT FERRIS

Kicking off the night with one of their newest tracks, ‘From the Other Side’, the Chicago four piece thunder into life. The latest song has signalled the direction of their newest era, teasing a return to a more classic Fall Out Boy sound, and leaning into characteristics that sparked their careers. Aptly, this song also reflects the trajectory of the night, exhibiting what they do best as a band.

The setlist abruptly traverses the band’s shared history, cherry-picking offerings that span ‘Take This to Your Grave’ to the latest singles. They face a unique predicament, with a discography saturated with enough jewels to hit shuffle on the last twenty years and satisfy all those in attendance, the art of this setlist was appropriately choosing what to sacrifice. Despite being faced with this near-impossible task, Fall Out Boy waste no time in diving head first into their biggest hits early in the show, with no warm-up needed for their definitive emo anthem, ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’.

As they leap about the humble stage, so do the albums as they dip into the whole back catalogue, showcasing the mega hits that have crowned them deity status within the scene. The real standout moments that will engrain this night in fan’s memories was the dusting off some real 00’s deep cuts in the form of ‘Chicago Is So Two Years Ago’ and ‘Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet’. Each opening chord was greeted by delighted gasps from the crowd on tenterhooks, recovering from the unrelenting whiplash of back-to-back classics.

Between the venue hosting and evangelical song title, it would be remiss to not indulge in a clichéd religious analogy. The biblical chorus of jubilation from devout emo’s during ‘Hum Hallelujah’ is a spectacle to behold. Fall Out Boy’s knack for the perfect hook, translates effortlessly into the live setting, leading their congregation with style.

If their on-stage charisma and instrumental skill weren’t quite so mastered, the fortuitous audience could almost suspend reality and imagine they were attending an underground show for the next big thing out of Chicago. For one night only, the legendary LGBTQ+ nightclub transformed into a time machine, transporting ticketholders back to the 00’s, granting the closest emulation of their fabled early London shows, Pete Wentz so wistfully described from the stage “London was one of the first places that gave a shit about our band outside of Chicago. So let’s take it all the way back”.

The fever pitch generating night draws to a comfortably familiar close, as they drop the dancefloor singalong staple ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’, internationally cross-over smash-hit ‘Centuries’, followed by Wentz  flexing his hardcore credentials. Donating his career-bearing screams to ‘Saturday’, rounding out the gloriously chaotic show to a gratifying head.

Their trip back across the pond in Autumn will look decidedly different from the exclusive sweaty capsule that was granted to the privileged few. The anticipation for their incoming full-production arena show is untenable, the chemistry of a band only granted to those with the scene-defining status has to be experienced far and wide.

KAT FERRIS

The body of work boasts a notable return to the guitar to the limelight, embracing heavier elements from hard rock and post-hardcore, which they have shied away from in their more recent experimentally exploratory albums that have delved into wider hip-hop and electronic prospects. Across the album’s span, the riff-driven sound delves into various tones and textures to showcase Max Helyer and Chris Miller’s instrumental prowess, paired with Josh Franceschi’s signature serenading melodic vocal style, to create an abundance of cohesive, hooky, enjoyable tracks.

The reclamation of their origins is felt immediately, with ‘Deep Cuts’ and ‘God Bless The 90s Kids’ able to sit comfortably at the table alongside their pop-punk-powered early offerings. In true You Me At Six fashion, the album is chock full of emotionally charged singalong anthems in ‘Mixed Emotions (I Didn’t Know How To Tell You What I Was Going Through)’ and a title reminiscent of Fall Out Boy ‘Who Needs Revenge When I’ve Got Ellen Rae’, pouring with Franceschi’s emotion-laden woah’s, ready to be dutifully roared back by crowds in venues across the country.

The inclusion of artist collaborations from across the scene continues the themes of retrospection melded with progression, both paying homage to the scene’s history and showcasing what there is to look forward to. The former reflected in the audacious ‘No Future? Yeah Right’, with fellow British rock stalwart Rou Reynolds and the latter with ‘A Love Letter To Those Who Feel Lost’, paired with ethereal vocals courtesy of swiftly ascending rave punk prodigy Cody Frost.

The echoes of their explorations into new genre territories are artfully weaved throughout the album, with the restrained inclusion of synth and electronic, most notably found on ‘heartLESS’ and ‘Ultraviolence’.

Fingerprints of their past are scattered across the body of work, satiating their evolving yet loyal fanbase without using it as a crutch. ‘Truth Decay’ embodies a contemporised reclamation of their own identity; an honest and refined renaissance.

KAT FERRIS

First up to the mantle was CRASHFACE; the pandemic-born duo stepped out to the stage, a far cry from isolation. The Gerard Way parallels are hard to ignore, with Charlie Hinton stepping out in a blood-stained suit, radiating personality and captivating the audience with a raucous punk performance.

Followed by South-East London’s own Kid Bookie, unapologetically impossible to pigeonhole into genre limits, his hip-hop-meets-trap metal performance traversed rapid-fire rap delivery, riff-laden instrumentalism and a unique take on crowd engagement. His patter included the demand “put your hands up if you’re a human being and not a fucking reptilian like the queen”, which one felt obliged to concede and get involved. His rally cries to the misfits resonated with the crowd – which was refreshingly diverse in age, gender, race and expression – culminating in an impressive mosh pit for a Tuesday night support slot.

As 21:30 rolled around and with the crowd suitably riled, the main draw of the evening, Cassyette, took to the stage. A punk powerhouse from the onset, her stage presence was immediately electrifying with the opening track driving the enthralled crowd into a frenzy. Followed swiftly by ‘Dear Goth’, a track that rocketed Cassyette into the Tik Tok zeitgeist and boasts over 4.5 million Spotify streams at the time of this show. This song flaunts her remarkable range and mastery of vocal styles, effortlessly hopping from melodic verses into a guttural screamo showcase, dripping with character throughout. She continued to chug through her unique discography, to an obligingly feverish audience, reassuring the performance with boundless energy and incessant singing back to the stage.

The introduction of a track with gothic grandeur, ‘September Rain’, signals a change of pace to the crowd, prompting bittersweet and emotive reflection. The much-needed break from frenzy followed for the next few songs, with a heartfelt cover of ‘Falling Down’ by the late, great Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION. The tempo of the evening was then effortlessly transitioned with ‘Mayhem’, our personal highlight of the night and audibly a fan favourite, her quintessential love-gone-bad anthem. The visible emotional proximity to the raw lyricism of the track made for a captivatingly honest performance that radiated relatability – a real stand-out.

Despite the follow-up being called ‘Sad Girl Summer’, O2 Islington was no longer dwelling on exes. Cassyette shook the crowd out of a funk with her empowering rager of a chorus, filled to the brim with pop-punk guitar riffs, impossible to not enjoy. The set thundered on with the new pace set, gleefully embraced by the mesmerised crowd which swiftly returned to their proclivity to jump around. The crowd reached fever pitch as she leapt headfirst from the stage and directly into her doting audience – we eagerly facilitated the crowd surf, her bleach blonde cropped mullet bobbed around the venue, before returning to the stage and overlooking her dominion with a euphoric smile.

As the set reaches its final throes, she unleashes ‘Petrichor’, her powerful vocals carry the punchy track, filled with angst, the compelling snarl of the performance encompassed the best bits of the last hour. Complete with classic, somewhat cliché, rock ‘n’ roll destruction with the guitarist smashing his instrument, indicating the night was drawing to a close. Although, the crowd wouldn’t take no as an answer, with their cries of “one more song”, rapidly met with a satisfying resolution.

Commanding the room one final time, Cassyette gave a second rendition of ‘Dear Goth’, inexplicably met with even more fervour than the first-time round, despite some minor technical difficulties and a false start. Just like that, she has firmly cemented her status as scene leader for the latest generation of rock fans with an infectious presence and talent, too vivid to ignore.

KAT FERRIS

Wading through the voltage thick air was first support. Brighton 3-piece PROJECTOR introduced the room to their abrasive alt-pop Sonic Youth tinged sound, full to the brim with irresistible melodies for a searing start to a white-hot night of alternative glory. Half of the dual vocals came refreshingly from Lucy Sheehan, providing some well-needed feminine respite from an evening that tended to skew toward the phallic, from both the crowd and artist. PROJECTOR were followed by cleopatrick’s support mainstays Ready The Prince, who delightfully wove unexpected groove elements into their heavy-rock flavour, suitably riling up the already zealous audience ahead of the main event.

As the headliners took to the stage, their self-proclaimed status as the “last rock band on planet earth”, could very much be believed to be true from the crowd’s sheer dynamic fervour throughout the entire show. The reckless abandon and unbridled energy brought by the all in attendance was truly an experience to behold, as the tearing distorted riff of ‘GOOD GRIEF’ tore through the venue and kicked off a set of a night of unified chaotic catharsis. In true punk style, they play hard and fast, bombarding the thrilled audience with short but immutably punchy tracks relentlessly paired with classically cleopatrick crooning angsty vocals.

A pure crowd-pleaser and personal highlight was delivered in a ‘sanjake’ shaped aural package, delivering biting tongue in cheek lyricism over hard rock instrumental. The track was “designed to incite vicious mosh pits and a sense of existential triumph”. Mission accomplished. The setlist relentlessly crashed on, delivering R&B infused heavy hitters until reaching a definitive fever pitch of the evening during ‘hometown’, lulling the crowd into a false sense of security with a lower tempo intro that explodes into “what’s the fun in getting drunk if you can’t take it too far!?” – a euphorically pointed sentiment posed to the beer-fuelled captive audience. At this point in the show, collective spontaneous combustion wouldn’t even come as a surprise, the sheer combination of killer guitar and distorted dynamic lyricism was a powder keg of the greatest order.

The setlist generously encompassed both longstanding fan favourites alongside offerings from the album of the tour namesake, ‘BUMMER’, and rounded out with an unexpected indie offering, a poetic cover of none other than Arctic Monkeys’ ‘ode to love, 505’. The track offered the perfect antithesis to round out the evening, the room wound the energy down unabashedly singing along to the indie karaoke classic as steam rose from the adrenaline-filled mob.

Continuing with their London residency with a fabled Jack Saunders Hopscotch show the next evening, this Canadian duo certainly made the absolute of their time in London and more importantly made it loud.

KAT FERRIS