LIVE FROM THE PIT: The Haunt, Himalayas and Tally Spear
- Julia Stark
- Mar 7
- 4 min read
In spite of the weather and the TFL, UK fans fought tooth and nail to get to The Dome, London, for a night of crashing into each other to exhilarating alt-rock – there was no way this crowd were going to miss THE HAUNT and HIMALAYAS co-headline tour, with UK support from TALLY SPEAR. Barely taking a breather after their 2025 festival circuits and North American Tour, THE HAUNT and HIMALAYAS have vastly different sounds that work perfectly in tandem and have secured them as bands everyone should have on their radar.
Fresh from an EU/UK tour support slot, up-and-coming London artist TALLY SPEAR is a force to be reckoned with, starting the night strong and keeping the vibes high. Showcasing tracks from her upcoming EP Bittersweet, TALLY swung about the stage belting out a sound that has her in the running for new pop-rock royalty. She looked genuinely happy to be there dancing with the crowd, and you could hear her passion for music in her lyrics and vocals, encouraging the crowd to jump around with her.
Pacing across the stage to the anticipation-building Surrender, HIMALAYAS were there to prove they are a band to blast out your speakers, bringing precision and an edgy sound redefining alt-indie rock. With Joe Williams unleashing slick riffs and Mike Griffiths’ thrashing out guitar solos, best appreciated in Cave Paintings and Nothing Higher, their sound was perfectly complemented by Louis Heaps’ solid basslines that are designed to be heard and felt in your bones, while James Goulbourn delivered a sharp, snappy drumbeat. HIMALAYAS ran like a well-oiled machine of steady beats and rhythms hit flawlessly – they stayed connected with the music and their audience, Williams bringing a grounded tone that showed they were determined to provide a first rate show.
Mosh and circle pits quickly broke out for Thank God I’m Not You, leaving no room for rest before HIMALAYAS launched into Hung Up, with an enthusiastic fan in a Where’s Wally costume encouraging the crowd to keep spinning. Firing from one song into the next, Williams and Griffiths harmonised their vocals, combining their talents with THE HAUNT’s vocalist Anastasia for their collaboration track What If…?, that brought a higher energy to the crowd, while Heaps had his trademark smile fixed firmly on his headbanging face, Goulbourn’s snare and cymbals crashing to the back of the room.
HIMALAYAS rounded off their set with their commanding track From Hell to Here, featuring a smooth sample of COOLIOS’ Gangsta’s Paradise on guitar, while Williams strode into the middle of the pit to sing directly with the crowd. Leaving to wild applause, HIMALAYAS are headed for high goals.
Sufficiently warmed up by the support act, first headliner and the circle pits, the crowd made it known they were not done yet as THE HAUNT took to the stage to loud cheers, vocalist Anastasia Haunt gliding in to belt out the opening bars of Bad Omen, while guitarist and backing vocalist Maxamillion Haunt and bassist Jacob riffed off with shredding riffs, all three making full use of the stage to twirl and headbang as they ripped through their electrifying sound with I’m Not Yours and Dead 2 Me.
Drummer Joey Castro absolutely thrashed through the bass drum heavy songs, especially on Overdose and Worst in Me, while Anastasia showed off her powerhouse vocals with emotions lacing every word and vocal run, best felt during OK and reflected by the crowd getting their phone flashes in the air. Midway through the set, Maxamillion and Jacob swapped instruments before ‘squaring up’ with wide smiles on their faces, demonstrating the versatile talents of the band.
Maxamillion stopped multiple times between songs to express their intense gratitude to everyone in attendance for their “Biggest headline show, it’s fucking insane!”, admitting to the room their agent was not convinced London on a Monday night was a good time for a gig, “But it turns out you all showed up!”. Teasing ahead of its Friday release, THE HAUNT propelled themselves into their new, at that time yet-to-be-released single GHOST, cheered on by the crowd and the return of the Where’s Wally? character who was perched on someone’s shoulders in order to praise the new track louder.
After a high-intensity Going Under, the lights flashed in time to the mantra “One more song!”, echoed all the way to the back of the room – fans did not have to wait long as it was clear THE HAUNT would play through the night if they could and were not ready to say goodbye just yet. With demands from Maxamillion, “I need to see everyone moving, this is your last chance!”, they delivered their shattering track Wish You Stayed to a mosh pit where fresh faced moshers were encouraged to jump in and give it their all. This night will haunt fans’ dreams until their triumphant return.
Words and photos: Julia Stark
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