Gig Review: Unto Others Give Us To The Night
Venue: O2 Kentish Town
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Date: Feb 22, 2025
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Location: London, UK
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Venue: O2 Kentish Town | Date: Feb 22, 2025 | Location: London, UK |
Chernoglav here, your friendly neighborhood purveyor of pestilence and pontificator of all things heavy. My esteemed colleague Chort and I crawled out of our crypt, took a 50 minute tube ride, and braved the wilds of Camden Town to witness the Citadel faves Unto Others at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. But first things first! Nothing to celebrate our 2148th seeing Unto Others like getting the cherry blossoms from the latest album (“Never, Neverland”) permanently etched into my skin. I figure they’re unlikely to pull a Varg so it’s all good! Cheers to the amazing Yas at Devil’s Door Tattoo in Camden. We even managed to have a few beers with Gabe, Colin, Spyder, and Jamison (here filling in for Brandon). Rad dudes. Afterwards we thought the right course of action was to have more beers and numb our soon to be crushed craniums.
And so, on to the show in our sweet pink merch! If you didn’t know, Unto Others hail from the rain-soaked landscapes of Portland, Oregon, weaving their goth-inspired metal tapestry since 2017. But I have to HAND it to them, IDLE they are not. With their 3rd LP out now, the setlist was heavy on “Never, Neverland” from "Butterfly" and "Raigeki”, to the darkly comic “Suicide Today”. OH! And let’s not forget probably a top 3 song for me, “Time Goes On”. With Navi’s ‘hey listen’ intro (look it up), and the posi-goth vibes of “time goes on, don’t look back it will pass you by”, it just gives me an unreplicable tingle. Highlight of the night.
Older classics too, like "Jackie”, “Give Me To The Night”, and "It Doesn't Really Matter" got the crowd really pumping their fists to the anthemic choruses. And those unfamiliar, like the poor Australian girl next to me who came for Green Lung, got to hear my riveting commentary like “this next one is the best one”, and ”oh this is my favourite”. She even somehow caught a pick I drunkenly missed and gave it to me?! #blessed, and I owe you a drink next time, mystery Aussie. Undoubtedly, the band won over some new fans.
And what a band of rapscallions! Frontman Gabriel Franco, clad in what I was reliably informed by Chort’s meticulously researched notes is “standard Unto Others stage attire”, was an imposing presence. He stares into the abyss from dark shades and, frankly, the abyss probably blinks first. From the mournful "Dragon, Why Do You Cry?" to the anguished cries of "Heroin," his voice conveyed a perfect mix of despair and existential longing. Subtle vocal effects through the gig were bang on, adding an ethereal dimension to the songs, and the “huaghs” felt like I was hearing them from beyond the veil.
Pre-show we did indeed find out that the low-end anchor, Brandon, was sadly absent. A shadow of doubt flickered across Chort’s usually stoic face when he heard this. BUT FEAR NOT, YOU CHUCKLEHEADS! For stepping into the breach was a warrior of equal might: Jamison from VISIGOTH and BLOOD STAR! He locked in tighter than chainmail on a knight’s arse and was a natural fit with the band. Then there’s Sebastian “Spyder” Silva, the riff-weaver. Silva’s riffs are designed to crush your spirit and then, just when you think you can’t take anymore, they hit you with a soaring melodic solo that somehow makes the pain… almost… beautiful. Show 'em what up, Sеabass! Meanwhile, drummer Colin Vranizan provided a thunderous backbone to the band's sound, his powerful drumming driving the music forward with relentless energy. Still, he understands the dynamics, the ebb and flow of Unto Other’s music, knowing when to unleash his handsome rhythmic fury and when to subtly underpin the more delicate passages. Truly the Edgar Allan Poe-ian “beating heart” of the band!
There you have it! In conclusion, Unto Others delivered a captivating (Chernoglav nearly forgot to complain about the overpriced pints) and cathartic performance, reminding us that darkness can be beautiful, and heavy metal can be both harsh and elegant. We wish only wish it was longer than 45 minutes.
TOTAL SUPPORT! As with every band we review, we picked up some tasty merch but be sure to go to their website for more, go NOW! Also check out the setlist and the rest of the Heathen Neverland tour with Green Lung and Satan’s Satyrs below.
Setlist
Butterfly
Momma Likes the Door Closed
It Doesn't Really Matter
Jackie
Suicide Today
Raigeki
Can You Hear the Rain
Heroin
Time Goes On
Pet Sematary
Give Me to the Night
Dragon, Why Do You Cry?
REST OF THE TOUR
22.02.2025 - UK, London - O2 Forum Kentish Town
23.02.2025 - NL, Utrecht - Tivoli Vredenburg-Pandora
24.02.2025 - LU, Esch-Sur-Alzette - Rockhal
25.02.2025 - FR, Paris - Trabendo
26.02.2025 - FR, Toulouse - Rex
28.02.2025 - PT, Lisboa - LAV - Lisboa ao Vivo
01.03.2025 - ES, Madrid - Sala Copernico
02.03.2025 - ES, Barcelona - Razzmatazz 2
04.03.2025 - IT, Milan - Legend Club Milano
05.03.2025 - AT, Vienna - Flex
06.03.2025 - DE, Munich - Backstage
07.03.2025 - DE, Berlin - LIDO
08.03.2025 - DE, Bochum - Matrix
Written by: Chernoglav, the Hero with the Silver Moustache
“Howdy, I’m Chern. Yes, I still listen to Power Metal and yes, I still cover my face for tax reasons. I review gigs and live in the Citadel with the other half of this duopoly of doom, Chort. Oh and our dog, Ratboy.”
