LIVE FROM THE PIT: Lake Malice, Chaosbay and Eville

Since their formation in 2021, the Brighton based Italian/English band LAKE MALICE have constantly delivered epic music with their unique blend of heavy metal and hyper-pop sounds. On September 11th 2026 they delivered even more with their debut album I Wanna Know If It’s Real. The EU/UK tour following this album was something we could not miss, so we joined LAKE MALICE and their support bands EVILLE and CHAOSBAY on their tour.

Also from Brighton, first up was EVILLE. The trio fit as a perfect opener for LAKE MALICE as their self defined ‘Brat Metal’ started the night with female rage, heavy metal screams and y2k themes with songs such as Bikini Top, Leech and their newest single Flip Phone (recorded featuring REDHOOK’s Emmy Mack) which massively complimented the themes of the I Wanna Know If It’s Real tour. EVILLE started the show with high energy that stayed consistent throughout and ended the set with a circle pit around singer/guitarist Eva Sheldrake and bassist/singer Jude Richards. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on in future.

Not long after their second appearance at Wacken earlier this year and the release of their newest single The Lost Kids, next on the night’s line up was CHAOSBAY all the way from Berlin. This German four piece is rapidly rising through the ranks with a progressive and contemporary metal sound that feels nostalgic and similar to early KARNIVOOL blended with a modern metal sound. Bringing clean vocals and heavy screams is no small feat, yet frontman Jan Listing made it look and sound effortless while guitarist Alex Langner and bassist Matthias Heising brought the true chaos by bouncing around the stage without missing a single beat. Playing Maniac in the Mirror, How Does it Make You Feel? and a heavier cover of THE POLICE’s Message in a Bottle, that was filled to the brim with distinct metal breakdowns, keeping the room primed and buzzing for the upcoming headliner.

Finally, LAKE MALICE opened their headline set with Chrome Red and Ghost in a Hell, released as singles earlier this year, showing that LAKE MALICE were here to show us exactly what the album is made of with their “future nostalgia”. Following on with more from the album came Scatterbrain and Magic Square thrown in next showing the crowd just how much their sound has grown since 2021, yet staying the unique style that couldn’t be mistaken for any other band. It’s evident that singer Alice Guala and guitarist Blake Cornwall had some fun writing this album with lyrics that express rage toward how modern social media has made the world so self obsessed and anxious without sacrificing catchy beats. This vibe was translated on stage with the already established live favourites Nobody Wants To Be You and the newer 90s Bitch. Alice dedicated their next song, Main Character Energy, to online misogynists and the modern “manosphere” culture. Originally featuring Synsy, they were instead joined by Eva and Jude of EVILLE who did not disappoint in keeping the rage alive. Next came Stop the Party which is a LAKE MALICE staple song and, although is a great song to jump and dance to live, Alice has previously confessed that this song is about her own anxiety which so many people can relate to; it’s such a powerful song that even if it doesn’t resonate with you it’s hard not to jump around to (and if you can jump higher than Blake anyone would be impressed).

We were then transported back to social media taking over, pushing algorithms and seeking constant validation with the albums focus song Real Life exploring how moralism becomes performance when we need everyone to know what we’re thinking at all times. Speaking of performance, we were graced with some audience participation during the saxophone part for rly ok - although the band didn’t have a saxophone live, they made up for it with two blow-up saxophones being played by members from Manchester band EREBUS. Concluding the set were crowd pleasers galore, ending with Mitsuko, Blossom and Bloodbath. New and old LAKE MALICE fans went wild, even in such an intimate venue there were still a lot of crowd surfers during these classic songs. Surprising the crowd they also played a cover of New Religion, originally by BEBE REXHA and FAITHLESS, with their own future pop/metal twist; it may sound like this song was slightly out of place, but it blended seamlessly into the set and had everyone talking about it on their way out of the venue.

Alice and Blake reminded the audience that they released this album in their 30s and how important resilience is, when you truly care about something you should keep going no matter what. This show was a masterpiece display of how we need to believe more in ourselves and not what social media tells us we can and can’t do. We can’t wait to see LAKE MALICE continue to break these boundaries.

Words: Lex Winterbottom

Photos: Roxy Moloney