Live Review: GWAR - O2 Islington Academy, London
14th June 2023
Support: Spirit Adrift
Words & Photos: Jacob Schwar
Having arrived at the 02 Islington where tonight’s gig was taking place, I found myself requiring a quick pre-gig refreshment to cope with this infernal heat, so I promptly adjourned to a nearby pub in which, amongst the local hipster and student clientele dressed in their summer wardrobes, you could easily distinguish the GWAR fans wearing all black and the gnarliest band merch I’ve ever seen. Tonight was to be a performance I wouldn’t soon forget with it being the first time I’d be seeing GWAR live, I was cautiously warned upon entry to the venue of blood, lots of it to be exact, in fact there were signs in the venue warning us about the blood, was this a gig or an abattoir I was entering, that remains to be seen.
In support of the mighty GWAR were Arizonian heavy metal quartet Sprit Adrift, a band who I’m quite familiar with as the one and only Chase H. Mason from Gatecreeper was their former bassist. Admittedly, it was refreshing to hear a band playing an honest, no-nonsense take on traditional heavy metal though of course with a bit of modern flair. They started their set with the epic 'Sorcerer’s Fate', a real chugger with its irresistible catchy riffs that got everyone bopping their heads then soon followed up with a new single ‘Barn Burner' with some fantastic guitar harmonies heard throughout.
All of a sudden I heard a familiar tune, a tune that conjured images of dwarf men dancing around a miniature pre-historic monument… it was in fact the intro to Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge that preceded the next song 'Forge Your Future', a rather grandiose yet bittersweet number with some poignant lyrics to take into account. Next up they unleashed 'Ride Into the Light' which is by far their biggest hit with its sludgey guitars and tight drums, a song that saw some on the front row headbanging profusely. Spirit Adrift would round things up with the another helping of riff-tastic goodness with 'Harmony of the Spheres' before finally ending an excellent set with the groovy and somewhat optimistic “Astral Levitation” before exiting stage to deserved applause.
Though the real reason we were all here tonight was for the absolute pandemonium that would ensue with tonight’s headlining act, prepare for blood, it’s time for GWAR! Before the band even stepped foot on stage we greeted by an unexpected visit from his highness King Charles III who I had no idea was a GWAR fan, he proceeded to conduct a speech whilst being booed by the audience before his police entourage came out to pacify the crowds!
The band soon appeared in all their absurdist glory helmed by Blöthar the Berserker, they kicked straight into the grossly anthemic 'Hail, Genocide!' during which the GWAR carnival truly begun and we got our first sprays of blood, the front audience completely awash in claret and myself having half my upper body stained red! GWAR would pull out some catalogue classics as well as some deeper album tracks for this performance including 'The Cutter', 'Ratcatcher', an old school favourite 'Horror of Yig' and a live debut with the aptly titled 'Completely Fucked’ though in my opinion I wouldn’t necessarily come to a GWAR show for the music, it’s all about the stage theatrics and I’m sure many would agree.
During the set we saw dismemberments, beheadings and all kinds of shenanigans, one of particular note involving who I presumed was Putin and possibly Xi Jinping having a brawl on stage with Jinping’s wig flying off and blood spurting from his scalp, not to mention when the policeman from earlier had a three metre rod shoved up his backside as well!
A rather fitting cover song performed by GWAR was of AC/DC’s 'If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)' which alongside their biggest song 'Sick Of You' was their encore. With a front row crowd completely covered in blood and venue security looking traumatised at what had just taken place, I’d say tonight’s show was a success, what a sight it must have been for people on the same train going home as several blood-stained GWAR fans! All in all, I recommend going to see GWAR next time they’re on tour, whether you’re a fan or not of the music you’ll surely appreciate the stage show, I myself don’t really know much of GWAR’s music yet was fascinated by their overall gnarly aesthetic having first discovered the band on an episode of Viva La Bam and was truly impressed at what I saw tonight.
All photo credits: Jacob Schwar / Darkness Before Dawn
