LIVE REVIEW: HOLYWATR AT THE UNDERWORLD, LONDON 10/06/26
For the first time ever, Los Angeles-based Holywatr brought their unique hard-hitting blend of metal, emo and hardcore to the UK. With a sold-out show at the legendary Underworld in London they delivered an explosive, unapologetic and memorable performance, cementing their rising status in the alt rock/metal scene.
This was the last one of a few headlining shows, aka Services [Ed. their fandom is called The Congregation], as they were officially called by the band, that saw them performing in some of the coolest venues in Europe and UK as well as being part of major festivals including Slam Dunk Germany, Slam Dunk Switzerland, Slam Dunk Italy and to top it all off with the iconic Download Festival in the UK and Rock For People in Czech Republic.
Kicking things off were London-based Within Reach, who have been supporting Holywatr in Europe and UK. It was clear from the get-go that these guys were ones to look out for in the British metalcore scene; their set, which included their latest 2026 releases ‘Liar and The Host’ and ‘Hesitate’, balanced energetic riffs and breakdowns with clean and screaming vocals, which had completely won the audience over.
As soon as the lights went out again, it was finally time for Holywatr to take centre stage. The whole stage was in darkness, with only two white spotlights illuminating the centre, a dramatic intro played and when it slowly faded out, the crowd exploded in a loud cheer. Vocalist Patrick Middelthon aka Holy entered the stage with a solemn walk, opening the night with ‘Starving’ from their 2024 album PSALMS. After the first few notes played, the rest of the band, ie. Chandler Martin on lead guitar, Quintin Kelley aka Iceman on rhythm guitar and Daniel Gallardo on drums, joined him on stage.
Before ‘Lip Service’ from the 2025 album RED HEIFER, Patrick took the mic and screamed “London, are you fucking ready!”, which had the crowd roaring in excitement. Whilst introducing the next song, Patrick shouted “How the fuck we are feeling y’all, welcome to Wednesday night Service with Holywatr motherfuckers – this song is called ‘Are You There?’”. The track, from their latest album DEO GRATIAS which was released on 17th April 2026, gradually builds up to dynamic riffs masterfully blended with Patrick’s incredible range of clean and guttural vocals and screams, and progressively heavier drums, which culminates in one of the hardest breakdowns I witnessed during the show, leaving the audience in awe. By this point it seems that everybody in the room is truly and well warmed up.
The set continued with other three tracks from the same album, including the latest released single ‘Pure Leaf’, ‘Burn The Witch’ and ‘Without u’; the last has been introduced by Patrick as “One that started it all” and asking the audience “If you know it, sing it louder than you can!”. The fans are not holding back and are as participating as ever, belting out word for word for the entirety of the song.
We are now halfway through, and it appears it is time for some proper action. Patrick took the mic to say that he wanted to see some crowd surfing and before the band started playing the first notes of the energetic ‘Mistake’ he asked to open up a mosh-pit and the audience promptly delivered. But it didn’t stop here, because before the mighty breakdown, Patrick commanded a wall of death, which was sensational to witness, another highlight of the night.
It was then the turn for another one from PSALMS, the powerful and raw ‘My Mom’s In There!’, one of my favourite songs from the band and I was incredibly happy to see it in the setlist; for the final part they included the epic outro of ‘I Won’t Forget’ and a circle pit was requested.
As soon as the first few notes of ‘Fade’ played, the fans erupted in a blasting acclamation, this was one of the most emotional parts of the night where everyone was in the moment singing loudly and connecting with the deep and emotional lyrics; during the breakdown Kenzie, the vocalist of Within Reach, joined forces on stage with Patrick.
After a brief and entertaining interaction with the audience, Patrick introduced the next song by saying “This next one is about how everybody wants to be known, but nobody wants to be seen, it’s called ‘Prove Me Wrong’”, another single released from DEO GRATIAS which shot up the energy in the room yet again.
The hauntingly beautiful ‘Winter Pine’ gave the crowd a moment to catch their breath, before going into some action again with another favourite moment, the so-called girl-pit; this is a tradition that was started by the band during previous shows in the States. During ‘For The Plot’ and for one song only, this is a safe space for the girls to mosh, where no guys are allowed to get involved; I think this is such a cool thing to do and I wish more bands would follow suit in the future.
Before you know it, we are now heading towards the end of the set, and there it is, reverberating like a thunder the intro “Ultio dulcis est” which derives from Latin and it means revenge is sweet. The fans know what is coming as excited screams erupt from the crowd; it’s time for the ever-so energetic and aggressively exquisite ‘Give Me A Show’, another from DEO GRATIAS. What a moment it was, not a single person was standing still, everyone was jumping and singing back word for word, the floor was vibrating so much that felt like an earthquake.
Before the encore, it was the turn for ‘Nail Polish’, one of their most known and fan-favourite, the audience didn’t hold back with the sing-along once more. After the well-deserved roaring ovation, Patrick shouted “Thank you London, we love you!”, the band left the stage, and everyone started chanting altogether “One more song!” repeatedly; shortly after they returned to play two more songs for the encore.
The first one was ‘Bear Trap’, which started with a mellow intro played superbly by Chandler and Quintin, accompanied by the eerily ethereal vocals of Patrick, and then suddenly shifted into a deeper and more intense sound with grittier riffs, harsher vocals and a crescendo of heavy drums spectacularly executed by Daniel, showcasing once again the ability of the band to blend effortlessly and flawlessly different music styles.
To conclude what it was a notably curated setlist, built to connect with old fans and new, Holywatr chose ‘Loose Ends’ to close the successful night. The high energy and belted-out chorus were topped off by Patrick stage-diving for the final part of the song, leaving everybody buzzing and ecstatic.
The night was nothing short of impressive, Holywatr delivered a masterclass on how it should be done. With an incredible set full of atmospheric melodies and heavy breakdowns, the electrifying connection with the audience, the dynamic and impeccable transitions between clean and screaming vocals from Patrick skilfully woven with a bold stage presence and masterful performance by the other band members, they put on a striking and powerful show that left a lasting mark and captivated everyone in attendance. These guys are onto something special and so ready for bigger venues, and I’m hoping they will come back next year to play more shows; I will be certainly going to see them again. Congratulations are in order for Holywatr, they came, they sold out, they conquered.