LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: (HED)P.E. AT THE ADRIAN FLUX WATERFRONT, NORWICH 07/10/26

With (Hed)p.e.’s return to Norwich, there is plenty to look forward to already, that’s not even taking into account the fact that they brought both veterans Cold and fresh blood MU. A combination that brought a quite varied night from the word go. Whilst the running order of the bands felt slightly off to me, the quality throughout the night was hands down, spot on. 

Opening the evening's proceedings were the French metal/prog band MÜ, a band that I went into completely blind as to what to expect. With that in mind, it was not expected that they were going to turn into one of the highlights of the evening's music. Turning up early to be greeted with a band that you have not heard of before and then wanting to hear more of their music by the end of their performance is always a good sign.

That was very much the case here, they were exceptionally good, setting the standard early on for how the rest of the night was going to go. Give a listen to their song ‘Shards’, this song stood out far and above their others, it is a great introduction to all their influences in one, it provides the flow and intensity that they carry throughout all of their set.

This is their first time touring UK soil I believe, however watching their performance, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is a regular thing for them. Oozing with confidence and leaving an impression on everyone in attendance. MÜ are definitely a band that needs to be taken notice of.

Following on from the high  energy introduction to the night, Cold entered the Norwich stage for the first time in 20 years. That gap has not had any effect on them though, still bringing the exact performance you would expect from them. With this being a co-headline tour, this meant that they were able to delve into their complete back catalogue. Hand picking the fan favourites from all 5 of their albums, including songs like ‘Suffocate’, ‘Remedy’ and ‘Another Pill’. They seem genuinely happy to be back on the European circuit as well, with vocalist Scooter Ward, giving a speech as to how happy he is to be back.

This seems like a mutual feeling with the crowd as well, I had heard reports of them getting heckled at earlier dates in the tour, however, I do not think I heard this at all tonight. However, I must say, to me it felt like their position in the night's line up felt odd. It felt as though they should have been the openers. This is not based on their performance at all, as that was flawless, just the atmosphere of the night going from MÜ to Cold felt a bit off to me.

Like I said though, this is no indication of their performance, there was not a single fault, the 20 year gap felt like it had only been a year with how good they sounded.

Finally we have what I suspect to be the main attraction for the evening, returning after their highly successful supporting slot under Drowning Pool in 2025. That night, they opened the show and brought the house down before the main acts. Tonight the roles have been reversed and they are closing out the show on a high.
The earlier reservations about the momentum of the show, very quickly disappeared, from the word go they were even better than the last time that they graced a Norwich venue, I could not find a single fault with their performance.

‘Jesus (of Nazareth)’ opened the set, followed by ‘Killing Time’ and ‘Waiting to Die’. With the selection drawn from ‘Broke’, there was a clear focus to the evening’s headline performance.

‘Crazy Legs’ and ‘Swan Dive’ followed before ‘Feel Good’, keeping the set firmly rooted in that record.

What mattered most was how well they delivered it. Familiar material can come with a lot of expectation, especially when people have spent years listening to it, but there was no sense of (hed)p.e. simply going through the motions. The performance held up from beginning to end, with the band giving these songs the attention and energy they deserved.

Jahred was a huge part of that. At this stage in his career, his commitment on stage remains impressive, and he gave everyone the night they had come for. There was nothing about his performance to suggest he was interested in taking things easy. Having seen what he can do before, it was a pleasure to find him still delivering at that level.

‘Pac Bell’ and ‘I Got You’ took the set into its later stages, with ‘Boom (How You Like That)’ following before ‘The Meadow’. ‘Bartender’ then brought the headline performance to a close. It was a focused selection that gave the night a strong identity and left very little room for complaint about the band themselves.

My other question concerned the venue’s capacity. The Waterfront appeared to be operating with a reduced allocation, and I felt there was room for more tickets to have been made available. I don’t know the reasoning behind that decision, but it seemed a shame that more people couldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy a performance of this quality.

MU were an excellent start to the evening and a band I’ll be watching with interest. Cold delivered on their long-awaited Norwich return, even if I’d have preferred to see them earlier in the running order. As for (hed)p.e., they were everything I’d hoped they would be. A flawless headline performance, and another reminder of why I’m always happy to see their name on a Norwich gig listing.

Words and photos by Tom Atkin.