LIVE REVIEW: PARKWAY DRIVE AT OVO WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON 04/09/25
Parkway Drive’s all-Australian ‘20th Anniversary Tour’ is a story of underdogs perfectly captured by the spirit of their anthem, ‘Wild Eyes’. This evening proved that Parkway Drive is not only one of, but perhaps the most essential metal acts to witness live.
The Amity Affliction wasted no time setting a high bar for energy. Moments into the first song, ‘Pittsburgh’, vocalist Joel Birch engaged with the crowd right away by asking them to bring their hands up. The vocal work from these guys has always been impressive on their records, and after hearing them live for the first time, I can confirm they are incredibly consistent live as well! Dare I say perhaps the cleanest vocals of the night? They are experts in creating a vibrant contrast between melodic, clean vocals and screams, which sets them apart from other metal acts. Tracks like ‘Drag the Lake’ and ‘All My Friends Are Dead’ (during which the whole arena was singing) were highlights. The set concluded with the finale ‘Soak Me in Bleach’ where the audience was invited into the pit one final time, also making the crowd wave along in the process.
Next up, Thy Art is Murder delivered a crushing, dramatic shift in tone. The absurdity began immediately, as their set hilariously opened after the euphoric pop track ‘We Like to Party’ by Vengaboys, which abruptly dropped into their signature, brutal death metal sound.
Their vocalist, Tyler Miller, humorously acknowledged their unique position: "It’s funny to be the death metal band between two metalcore bands". Their sound was intense, tracked by the band’s light tubes programmed to the music, punctuated by immediate blackouts after each song for maximum dramatic effect. Their energy was relentless throughout their whole set, with calls for circle pits everywhere, particularly during ‘Death Squad Anthem’ with the vocalist egging the crowd on: "If I'm not stopping, you're not stopping". A highlight and quickly recognised track by the audience was ‘Holy War’, which critically examines religious extremism and the cycle of violence it perpetuates. Their set was a masterclass in aggressive stage presence, demanding movement, and successfully building an atmosphere of anticipation ahead of Parkway Drive’s arrival.
After AC/DC's 'Back in Black', the arena lights dropped, replaced by a video package of Parkway Drive’s 20-year history - a reminder of their journey and a perfect opening for their anniversary tour. The show began with the band entering from the public with two massive PwD flags and a B-Stage ready for the iconic tracks ‘Carrion’ and ‘Prey’, getting everyone jumping and singing. After these two songs, a platform was lowered down from above, introducing us to their main A-Stage design. This strategic use of an A-Stage (Main), a B-Stage (Intimate), and the hanging platform (Theatrical use/Extra Pyro) created different ways of experiencing the band throughout the night, making the performance spatially dynamic.
Having personally witnessed the band live on both the IRE (2016) and REVERENCE (2019) tours, it's astonishing that they still manage to increase their production scale and spectacle with every single touring cycle.
This production had everything you could wish for: pyro, smoke, simulated rain, stage props, dancers, a string section, fireworks, and did I mention pyro? Yeah, a lot of pyro. This was the result of a nine-month collaboration between Parkway Drive and the creative team at Vision Factory, also responsible for their legendary Sydney Opera House show in Australia. Starting with the band's creative brief, which desired a multi-layered performance space referencing urban environments and a tone inspired by films like Blade Runner, Vision Factory translated this into a stunning, abstract, and dystopian stage setup. Lighting director Liam Griffiths integrated a lighting design, amplifying atmospheric elements such as intense pyrotechnics, smoke, and simulated rain. A key component of translating the show's dark, ritualistic narrative was the presence of a collective of highly specialised, cross-disciplinary, award-winning dancers: Harrison Hall, Jahra Wasasala, Bryin Mita, and Ooshcon (who had the most meme-worthy, yet haunting facial expressions whilst performing). Rooted in experimental self-expression, their work - drawing from contemporary movement, Krump, and Indigenous Pasifika performance - transcends traditional choreography. Instead, they acted as living, breathing elements within the dystopian world, using their unique, physically charged styles to deliver a compelling visual narrative alongside the band.
In Winston's words, “Never underestimate us” – they show here that they are willing to go to great lengths with their presentation, and they clearly have a consistent desire to create a spectacle, and we can’t wait to see what they are going to do next.
Musically, they delivered a strong, career-spanning set. The selection was fantastic and commendably featured at least one song from every album in their extensive discography, aside from DEEP BLUE, which was quite surprising. One certainly wishes they could have spared a slot for fan-favorites like ‘Karma’, ‘Sleepwalker’, or ‘Home is for the Heartless’, but that single omission aside, the set choices were impeccable.
A highlight during their set was the song ‘Horizons,’ when guitarist Jeff Ling was lifted onto the platform for his solo. As he shredded, a stunning shower of fireworks and smoke erupted from underneath him. Another example was the ingenious KILLING WITH A SMILE medley, where McCall confessed, "We couldn't pick which songs to add to the set, so we picked the best riffs and breakdowns!" This was a tribute to their roots and early fans while demonstrating their evolution and how far they’ve come. “This was not supposed to happen” says Winston. “These songs were not meant to be performed in arenas of this size, but here we go!”.
This entire performance showcased that they are not only an incredible band that continually pushes the limits, but also masters of diversion and theatricality. Take, for instance, the transition from the outro of ‘Dark Days’. Frontman Winston McCall, who showed off a few costumes and outfit changes throughout the night, suddenly teleported into the crowd for ‘Idols & Anchors’, commanding chaos with the line, "I've become the roundabout," initiating a massive circle pit on the arena floor. While the crowd's attention was completely drawn to the frontman in their midst, the (incredible) string trio was seamlessly moved to the hanging platform waiting for their introduction during the track ‘Chronos’ - absolutely brilliant work.
As Winston said in an interview with The Project, metal and classical music complement each other well, and this was a clear example of why. The trio added a lot of emotional depth to the songs and genuinely gave me goosebumps. They were only used for two songs, and there is definitely room for more! We would like to have more songs accompanied by a string section.
The emotional counterpoint arrived with the metal ballad ‘Darker Still’, a moment that completely silenced the arena with its whistling tone, accompanied by a breathtaking shower of gentle lights from the audience. Jeff Ling’s guitar work on this track is absolutely stunning to witness live.
The theatrics escalated dramatically, leading to ‘Crushed’. The build-up began with Ben Gordon’s drum solo and the dancers igniting the fire using molotovs. The climax arrived during the track as Winston McCall was elevated on the platform and launched a barrage of fire in every direction with each “Crushed” line, all whilst drummer Ben Gordon was rotated on a rig on fire whilst drumming. Yes, this is the same drummer who taught Chris Hemsworth how to play drums for Ed Sheeran in Bucharest. As a Romanian, this was an absolute fever dream, and it can be watched by searching “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth”.
The 20th Anniversary Tour is about more than just celebrating two decades of Parkway Drive for existing fans; it is an active effort to welcome new ones through exceptional production. This point was perfectly encapsulated by the reaction of our Executive Editor, Florelle, who admitted to not knowing the band's music well but was left completely stunned: “The production was just unreal! I’ve never seen this before, not to that scale, it was so epic.” Highlighting the show’s shock factor, she later joked, “If they did a second London date, I would’ve considered buying a ticket to see it again”. This universal appeal, driven by their stagecraft, solidifies Parkway Drive's current standing as a powerhouse in the scene.
Parkway Drive's live production scale and quality, mixed with their stage presence and theatrical elements, is an undeniable signal that this is no longer a question of if, but when Parkway will officially be a headline act for Download Festival.
Parkway Drive is returning to Europe soon with their second leg of their 20th Anniversary celebration. Don’t miss out on the remaining dates:
30.10 – Lisbon, Portugal
01.11 – Madrid, Spain
02.11 – Barcelona, Spain
05.11 – Lyon, France
07.11 – Praha 7, Czechia
08.11 – Budapest, Hungary
10.11 – Łódź, Poland
12.11 – Helsinki, Finland
14.11 – Stockholm, Sweden
15.11 - Göteborg, Sweden
16.11 – Frederiksberg, Denmark
Looking ahead, Parkway Drive is cementing its legacy not just as performers but as curators of Australian metal culture with the return of the Park Waves Festival in Australia in early 2026. Described as a "headbanger's experience like no other" this traveling festival brings a stellar all-Australian line-up with The Amity Affliction, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, and Story of the Year. This concept perfectly encapsulates their ambition to showcase their once-perceived “non-existent” scene to metal fans.
Words by Vlad-Paul Ghilaș (Platform ‘96)
Full setlist below:
1. Carrion
2. Prey
3. Glitch
4. Sacred
5. Vice Grip
6. Boneyards (with Joel Birch from Amity Affliction & Andy Marsh from Thy Art is Murder)
7. Horizons
8. Cemetery Bloom
9. The Void
10. Wishing Wells
11. Gimme a D / Anasasis (Xenophontis) / Mutiny / It's Hard to Speak Without a Tongue / Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em / Romance Is Dead (“Killing with a Smile” Medley)
12. Dark Days
13. Idols & Anchors
14. Chronos
15. Darker Still
16. Bottom Feeder
17. Drum Solo
18. Crushed
19. Wild Eyes