As December Falls performed at the Electric Ballroom in London on 30th October

Photo by Finn Delisle

Words by Finn Delisle

Sydney’s alt-rock firestarters RedHook ignited Camden’s Electric Ballroom with a fierce opening set that instantly won over the early crowd. From the explosive ‘bomb.com’ to the cathartic, people-pleaser anthem ‘Soju’, frontwoman Emmy led with raw charisma, transforming their short slot into a chaotic, electrifying spectacle. 

Photos by Finn Delisle

Alternative metal trio THE HARA took things up a notch with a wild, high-octane set that demanded mosh pits, swiftly joined by guitarist Zack. Highlights ranged from the raging ‘Rockstar’ to the earth-shaking new track ‘The System’, delivering a relentless surge of energy that left the room buzzing in anticipation for the headliners.

Photos by Finn Delisle

Closing out the night, As December Falls delivered a spirited set that truly captivated the crowd. Frontwoman Beth led with powerhouse vocals in the opening track ‘Burn It All Down’, abruptly leading into their recent album’s title track ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’, which lent its own name to the tour itself; ‘Everything’s On Fire But We’re On Tour’. The crowd’s energy rose with the freeing ‘Angry Cry’, and the lively ‘I Don’t Feel Like Feeling Great’ invited everyone to join in a playful ‘da-da da’ chant, whilst ‘Join The Club’ had what felt like half the room crowd surfing. 

Midway through, it was announced that it was time for “the very special part of the set”, which came in the form of a DJ mix of the ‘oiia oiia’ cat, complete with some seriously impressive high kicks from Beth. Returning to their own songs, ‘Fall Apart’ welcomed RedHook’s Emmy back to the stage, and deep cut ‘Bathroom Floor’ had the whole crowd swaying their arms along to Lukas’ irresistible drum beat. A heartfelt cover of Blink-182’s ‘I Miss You’ saw Timmy, on bass, and Ande, on guitar, take centre stage, as they exclaimed that they were “bad singers”, they asked for moral support from the crowd with phone torches and lighters. 

The remainder of As December Falls’ set included tracks like the “jumpy” ‘Little By Little’, and an older song ‘Capture’, which saw many more crowdsurfers launching themselves over the audience, with one losing a phone in the midst. Finishing up by “wasting time speaking” instead of playing “adult peekaboo”, the final songs ‘Ride’ and ‘Therapy’ saw the crowd screaming the lyrics and clapping along. Solidifying a great night with the obligatory on-stage photo with the crowd, the band’s biggest London show to date felt like one that would not be soon forgotten.

Photos by Finn Delisle