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Livesphere is an online music magazine led by a female collective united by the love of music, dedicated to bringing you the latest music news, reviews, live photos and insights, predominantly in London and the UK as well as throughout Europe. Whether you're a fan of rock, metal, alternative, pop, or indie, we’ve got you covered with in-depth features on artists, album releases, concert reviews, and interviews. With engaging articles and content, and a passion for all things music related, Livesphere is your go-to destination for staying in tune with the music scene.
And don’t forget to check out the Live Events section to stay updated on what’s to come!
LIVEreviews
HANABIE | ELECTRIC BRIXTON, LONDON | 7 NOVEMBER
NEW!
There's something different about fans of J-Rock. The intensity of fandom is a level above what is standard to see in the UK. At Electric Brixton the Japanese quartet Hanabie are joined by closer-to-home rock outfit Lake Malice.
“When I first came to London two years ago I had an amazing time” Yukina, lead singer of Hanabie grinned.
Back in 2023 in the sweaty depths of The Underworld in Camden, few could have imagined the quartet filling the Electric, a room triple the size, but in a relatively short period of time the band have gathered legions of new fans and selling out bigger and bigger venues seems to be the trajectory they are on.
Although mixing a sugary sweet look with growling metal may have been done before, Hanabie make it all look incredibly authentic, not least because of their genuinely impressive musicality and ability to deliver heavy metal that really slaps.
Emerging to ‘Warning!’ There almost isn't a second to catch your breath in the furious set apart from the moments when the band paused to chat to the crowd in staccato but perfectly understandable English. This is a band that puts in the hard yards to engage their fans in every way possible.
‘Spicy Queen’ really exemplifies the band's sound. Growling screams, feminine vocals, intense breakdowns all wrapped up together in a way that hits so hard you can't look away.
THE PLOT IN YOU | O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN, LONDON | 6 OCTOBER
A sold-out O2 Forum Kentish Town was packed for an explosive night of post-hardcore and metalcore, headlined by Ohio’s The Plot In You and joined by a powerhouse supporting lineup: Cane Hill, Saosin, and Currents. The evening offered a full experience, from nostalgia-infused anthems to feral breakdowns and moments of vulnerability.
By the time The Plot In You took the stage, anticipation had reached fever pitch. Opening with a Mario Kart theme blasting through the speakers, the Ohio quartet made a theatrical entrance before plunging into ‘Don’t Look Away.’ Smoke filled the stage as Landon Tewers stood alone up front, his distorted vocals haunting the crowded room while the rest of the band played from the higher platform, overseeing the sold-out crowd.
The energy surged through ‘Divide’ and ‘Pretend,’ with Tewers pleased at the sight of the steady stream of crowdsurfers making their way forward. “Bring me more of those,” he urged, before launching into ‘Paradigm.’
When ‘The One You Loved’ and ‘Face Me’ hit, the Forum transformed into a choir of voices: a testament to just how deeply ‘Face Me’ resonates with fans. Later, during “Silence,” Tewers performed solo on acoustic guitar under the soft glow of a lamp, before the rest of the band joined in, creating one of the night’s highlights.
ALBUM reviews
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - FLOWERS | 14 NOVEMBER
Formed in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, The Devil Wears Prada - vocalist Mike Hranica, guitarists Jeremy DePoyster and Kyle Sipress, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Gering, and drummer Giuseppe Capolupo - have grown into one of metalcore’s most enduring and innovative forces.
Nearly two decades after their debut album, Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord (2006), the metalcore veterans return and continue to push the boundaries of post-hardcore and metalcore with their ninth studio album Flowers, constantly evolving their sound while staying true to the intensity that made them stand out.
The new record finds the band wrestling with dualities: heaviness and melody, angst and acceptance, grief and growth. According to DePoyster, the album is about “the highs, the lows, a reckoning with what it means to be human catapulting through the chaos that life throws at us continually.”
‘That Same Place’ and ‘Where The Flowers Never Grow’ is a compelling two-part opener that immediately sets the tone of inner-darkness and introspection. The transition from the first track to the next is beautifully executed, with the second part being fast and explosive, really diving the listener into what TDWP do best: intensity and emotion.
‘Everybody Knows’, one of the album’s singles, is extremely catchy. The band are evolving, mixing in more melody, more clean vocals, more space in their arrangements, showing they don’t just want to repeat past formulas.
‘So Low’ comes next: here the band is leaning further into melody without losing their emotional intensity. Mike Hranica’s screams and Jeremy DePoyster’s clean vocals create a clear balance between heaviness and accessibility.
SET IT OFF - SET IT OFF | 7 NOVEMBER
NEW!
In shedding the weight of the past and stepping fully into their independence, alt-rockers Set It Off have redefined themselves. The Los Angeles-via-Florida trio of Cody Carson (vocals), Zach DeWall (guitar), and Maxx Danziger (drums) return with their self-titled record, their first since 2022’s Elsewhere, a bold declaration of creative freedom, evolution, and sincere intent.
Produced by long-time collaborator and friend Jon Lundin, Set It Off marks the band’s heaviest and most unfiltered release to date. “Every previous album was so necessary for us to be able to find this sound,” says Carson. “This is not the final destination, but it's the road we should have been running down the whole time.” And it shows. Every track feels like a deliberate stride towards authenticity: fierce, focused, and unapologetically them.
The album kicks off with ‘Pathological,’ a high-energy track full of sharp riffs and rapping vocals that instantly introduces the mood for the rest of the album. Indeed, the hard-hitting anthem, with its catchy chorus and faced-paced drums, is calling out liars, fakes, and selfish people, a clear sign that the band isn’t holding back on this new record. That same energy continues on ‘Punching Bag’ (originally released in 2023), which turns anger into strength, and the latest single ‘Rotten,’ where Carson takes aim at the lack of honesty he sees in the world today in their heaviest release yet.
The middle stretch of the album, featuring tracks like ‘SWITCH,’ ‘Fake Ass Friends’ (released in 2024), and ‘What’s In It For Me?’, sees Set It Off showing off their classic blend of signature pop with some hard rock bite: the tracks are instant earworms that will undeniably be, if not already, instant fan favourites in a live setting.
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THIS WEEK’S FAVOURITE TRACK
We can’t get enough of Sigrid’s new album There’s Always More That I Could Say, out now via Island / EMI.
aboutus
We are an inclusive, independent, non-profit publication led by a female collective launched out of sheer passion for live music and all things music related.
Executive Editor and Photographer: Florelle Servageon
Contact: florelle@livesphere-magazine.com
Editor and Photographer: Eva Grant
Contact: eva@livesphere-magazine.com
Lead Writer & Photographer: Imogen Bird
Contact: imogen@livesphere-magazine.com
Writer (Platform ‘96): Vlad-Paul Ghilaș
Contact: platform96events@gmail.com
Contributors: Justyna Serafin (Photographer), Bia Vismara (Writer), Auré (Writer), Liv Kendall (Writer), Verity Eaden (Writer), Julie Moisson (Writer), Julia Jevzikova (Photographer), Charlie Wright (Photographer)
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