LIVE FROM THE PIT: Pup, Illuminati Hotties and Goo

Last Friday have seen the O2 Forum Kentish Town shaking, as the Canadian quartet PUP took over the iconic building for a night full of singing, dancing, and jumping. Currently celebrating the release of their newest album, Who Will Look After The Dogs?, the band finished their UK tour with the London date and is currently touring across Europe until the end of May.

Joined by the British Goo and American illuminati hotties for the British leg of their tour, the band members Stefan Babcock (lead vocals, rhytm guitar), Steve Sladkowski (lead guitar, backing vocals), Nestor Chumak (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Zack Mykula (drums, backing vocals, percussion) toured eight cities, before returning to London for an evening to remember.

Opening the night with a half-empty floor and an audience who is just getting ready to party can be a tricky task, but the indie-pop-meets-punk-rock five-piece Goo smashed their opening act without any doubt. Hailing from the city of Keighley in West Yorkshire, the band already has some amazing performances under their belts, so it is no surprise that they went right into action that night. Their set was mostly calmer, leaning more towards the indie-pop side of their repertoire, however, their punk-rock songs, performed later in their set, absolutely surprised the whole audience, and were met with a big applause, that was then deservedly repeated at the end of their set, as it was also their last performance with PUP, as they did not follow them to Europe.

Next up was the Californian quartet illuminati hotties, who recently played their Tiny Desk concert. Fronted by Sarah Tudzin and playing mostly indie-rock, the band was met with a wider audience during their performance and even received the first mosh pit of the evening. As the band’s set progressed, so did their music, as it kept going heavier with each upcoming song. Promoting their upcoming album Nickel On The Fountain Floor, that is coming out in less than ten days, the band played the singles “777” and “Wreck My Life”, featuring the frontman of PUP Stefan Babcock, making the crowd go feral throughout the whole song and being even more excited for the headline act. At the end of their set, illuminati hotties received massive cheers from the audience, who visibly enjoyed the performance.

As the lights went dark, the whole Forum burst into a never-ending cheering, finally welcoming the main band of the night, PUP, onto the stage. Since the first note, every single person in the audience sang every single word of each song, and the whole floor transformed into a massive chaos, as there were many mosh pits and fans were just jumping and dancing around, making the balcony shake for its dear life. The band was overwhelmed by the excitement for the entirety of the show and expressed their gratitude multiple times, as they were getting through their signature riffs and breakdowns.

During the concert, Babcock noticed a sixty-seven-year-old fan at the front row holding up a sign that read that it was his birthday the day of the event, and the whole venue, together with the band, wished him happy birthday. As the band continued swiftly with their energetic set, they announced to the audience that there were only two songs left on the setlist, and that “encores are fucking lame, so we don’t do them”, to prepare the fans for the end of the night. Right after that heart-breaking announcement, the band welcomed, to a big surprise of the audience, Sarah from Illuminati Hotties to sing with them and Tanisha from Goo to play the guitar, which was a great experience, as both respective artists absolutely smashed their parts. After that performance, there was only one song left, and although the fans were chanting for more, it was time for the band to leave the stage it, and their fans had to accept that the unforgettable concert is over.

All three bands were amazing throughout the evening, and each one of them brought their own unique music and styles. The audience took little longer to appreciate the support bands, but once they got into the mood, it was an absolute pleasure to watch the excitement. PUP do know, how to make their fans enjoy the whole evening, and surely they are already planning to come back, as the support from the audience was very strongly felt.

Words: Katerina Stepanikova

Photos: Ace Cheng