LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: COLDRAIN AT THE ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON 23/11/25
Japanese alt-metal powerhouse coldrain returned to London after six years with a performance that was nothing short of electrifying. Playing Camden’s Electric Ballroom, the band brought their blend of post-hardcore, metalcore and alternative metal/rock, delivering a set full of fire, sweat and adrenaline.
Japanese alternative nu-metal outfit NOISEMAKER had the honour of kicking things off, introducing the already-buzzing London crowd to their mix of rock, metal and hip-hop influences with an impressively punchy performance. Vocalist AG ventured into the pit early in the set to feed off the crowd’s insane energy, and the fans, in return, welcomed him with open arms. The undeniable standout, though, came during ‘Supernatural,’ when coldrain’s frontman Masato Hayakawa made a surprise appearance, leaping onstage for a special collab. If there was any doubt the room was ready for chaos, that moment erased it completely, with the fans going absolutely wild.
French metalcore outfit REVNOIR followed, shifting the atmosphere ever so slightly with their blend of modern rock, metal, and dark electro. Bringing with them cinematic intensity and emotional weight, REVNOIR have quickly carved out a reputation as one of the most exciting rising names in metal music, and the set tonight was a clear testament of that. The performance effortlessly jumped between crushing metal breakdowns and more emotional moments made for waving phone lights in the air, striking a perfect balance between chaos and connection.
By the time coldrain rolled into London on their OPTIMIZE tour, it was pretty clear the UK had been waiting for them, with the queue forming outside Camden’s Electric Ballroom from early in the day. The welcome they got felt just as loud and intense as the energy they’d hauled all the way from Nagoya, Japan. The night was going to be a full-force collision of sound, sweat, and pure adrenaline.
The evening began with the aggressive ‘FREEFALL’ and the single ‘INCOMPLETE’ from their most recent EP OPTIMIZE, bringing intense energy from the start, with circle pits immediately forming and the crowd bouncing, with frontman Masato encouraging the fans; ‘‘I want to see everybody jump’’. The ever popular ‘PARADISE (Kill the Silence)’ sent the room into a pure frenzy, giving way to ‘The Revelation’ next, pushing the intensity even further.
coldrain may have been grinding for over a decade, but their turning point came back in 2013, when teaming up with UK-based Raw Power Management pushed them far beyond Japan. Since then, tours with Bullet For My Valentine and Chiodos, major European festivals like Download and Rock am Ring, they’ve been steadily building something bigger. Nights like this here at the Electric Ballroom made it clear: it is not just momentum but absolute proof that they belong exactly where they are, right in the middle of the chaos.
Masato, charismatic and fully in control, dashed around the stage, commanding the crowd with more mosh pits requests (‘‘Moshpits, let’s go!’’), adding pure chaos to the proceedings. Between songs however, the frontman dropped the bravado and spoke from the heart: “London, I feel the energy,” he said, almost in disbelief. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been in the UK. It took us six fucking years to come back here, this energy is another level.” Judging by the noise in the room, the wait had been very, very worth it.
There was a sense of absolute unity as the quintet performed through a carefully curated 17-song set, with beloved fans showing unwavering support at all times, with relentless crowd surfers and mosh pits going all night. Guitarist Y.K.C. and bassist RxYxO supported Masato on backing vocal duties for a full display of multi-talented musicianship, whilst the rest of the rhythm section comprising of guitarist Sugi and drummer Katsuma kept the whole show tight. Older tracks like ‘REVOLUTION’ and ‘MAYDAY’ from 2019’s The Side Effect, ‘Cut Me’ and ‘Bloody Power Fame’ from 2022’s Nonnegative all landed perfectly, whilst newer material such as ‘DIGITOLL’ and ‘CHASING SHADOWS’ from their most recent EP OPTIMIZE won the crowd instantly. The haunting reimagined version of Alanis Morissette’s classic ‘UNINVITED’, from their 2017’s album FATELESS also went down a treat.
Buzzing on adrenaline, Masato also made one final request to the London fans: “Promise me one thing. We’re gonna go home with sore throats. We’re gonna go home all sweaty. And we’re gonna go home with the memory that you headbanged to a Japanese band tonight.” The response was instant: cheers, hands in the air, and grins that said ‘‘yeah, we’re definitely not forgetting this’’.
The encore was pure mayhem, with the favourites ‘OPTIMIZE’ and ‘ENVY’ cranking the energy up to its absolute peak whilst the final song, ‘VENGEANCE’, brought the whole house down.
The performance was a ferocious storm of relentless energy: a reminder, in the most explosive way, of just how unstoppable they can be, after almost twenty years of experience in Japan’s rock and metalcore scene.
Photos by Julia Jevzikova
Words by Florelle Servageon
