Halocene - The Dome, London
A tour 14 years in the making, the exceptionally talented independent band Halocene from Phoenix, Arizona, finally made it to us all here in the UK. Those lucky enough to be able to see these in one of just five cities across the UK have been left wanting more, more, more! For their first ever time here at the show in London, they sure have picked an amazing venue. A building first erected in 1884 during the victorian era, The Dome in Tufnell Park, London, goes from strength to strength from surviving the test of time through wars and more to now being a vibrant and diverse music venue; especially now Halocene have graced the stage here alongside the support from the equally awesome Halflives who really know how to build up the crowd for the night.
Coming out blazing onto the stage blazing from the start were Halflives, an independent band formed in 2016 and led by the creative force that is Linda, the frontwoman of a truly visionary take on the indie and alt-rock scene. And with Lorenzo on Guitar and Gloria on drums, what a show this was! Epic jumps on stage, crowd surfing and sing-a-longs from the crowd to songs like 'Rockstar Everyday'. A song where Linda has the lights go up and does a practice run of the lyrics with the crowd, which she says is good, but "I know you can be so much damn louder so let's do this again, slower, louder and sexier. let's go!" to which the drum beat kicks back in for the second practice for the crowd before really going full-throttle into the main song itself, the crowd more than willing to join in and help out on this banger of a song.
Songs like Rockstar Everyday, Snake and Valkeryie showcase the amazing talent of this band you'll be itching to see again soon! Didn't catch them on this tour? Go check them out, give them a listen and follow via the links at the end of this review! You'll be eagerly awaiting their return to the UK. Getting the crowd pumped and ready for Halocene later in the evening, Linda and Lorenzo are fireballs of energy across the stage with Gloria providing the heartbeat over on the drums, with the smiles and joy of performing clear on everyones faces the entire time. And if you think that isn't enough to get you excited for Halocene already, Halocene themselves make a surprise appearance, drinks in hand, let the chaos begin!
The crowds excitement has built all evening when the lights go down, when Bradley and Gabriel on guitar and Joe on drums appear on stage to a low tempo piece of music playing in the background. Unable to contain themselves the crown being chanting Addie's name when the vocalist comes bouncing onto the stage to very responsive fans. This is one evening neither the band nor the crowd are going to forget as they go all out right from the get go. Asking the crowd early on "do you want a sad song? A happy song like shake it off? an angry song?", Addie finds out quickly the crowd are here for anything the band choose to play, although they definitely seem to favour the angry ones more.
Now this is one band who really reached out to a mass of fans through social media like TikTok, Facebook and instagram with covers like 'Welcome To The Black Parade' by My Chemical Romance, 'Unholy' by Sam Smith and a firm UK favourite 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush. A testament to the power and reach of going viral, this independent band have really had the time of their lives on this tour where they finally made it here to the UK since having first formed back in 2008. The band thank the crowd as "all of you have been so incredibly welcoming and inviting" Addie mentions, with Bradley unable to describe the emotions he's feeling, saying "I think this is the best show I've ever played in my entire life", before the band rip into the one that Addie says started it all, their cover of 'Chop Suey' by System of a Down.
An evening full of Halocene originals and fan favourite covers too, Halflives very own Linda is welcomed back on stage for the MCR cover much to the delight of the room. Two powerhouse vocalists like Addie and Linda gracing the stage together is more than we could ever ask for, the passion beaming from them both, surrounded by the insanely gifted musicians that are Joe, Gabriel and Bradley, Wow!.
Truly what an evening full of so much spirit and love of music, especially live music! At one point in the evening, the crowd are asked if it's ok to do a whole song again that the band loved performing so much, in order to film a music video they want this London audience to be a part of. This one is a top secret surprise so keep your eyes peeled on their next music video for the chance to see if you can spot yourself!
As the night draws to a close, Addie tells the crowd they would really love to stay, except for the extremely early flight home for them (4.30am, yikes!) as the entire room here at the Dome continued to beam and thrive on the electric energy felt in the air the whole evening.
"So, you got to put on your singing hat" says Addie, as she sings "Woah oh!" back and forth with the crowd. Now this is a room full of people who thrive off every word from the band, song lyric or just having a chat, a crowd thrilled to assist with lyrics like "Rage! That Rage!" (from Halocene's own song titled, you guessed it, 'Rage'!) with Addie in a practice run before the full song before having to bring the set to a finish.
This was one glorious debut date in London and tour in the UK and Europe for an incredibly talented and independent group of people who many fans here have waited a long time to see live. An evening full of bedlam, smiles and so much fun for all, crowd surfing in both bands sets and a 'please come back soon!' vibe emanating from the crowd.
An amazing evening, in a stunning venue in London with two magnificently outstanding bands so if you haven't heard them already, where have you been!?! Seriously though, go check them out, cause this crowd in London were most certainly treated to one of the best live gigs. So Halflives, Halocene, come back soon!
Halflives - Spotify / Facebook / Instagram / Website
Halocene - Spotify / Facebook / Instagram / Website
All images (c) SammielPix Photography, do not use without permission.
