With their excellent new album Ultraviolet released earlier this year, fans of As Everything Unfolds had been eagerly awaiting some headline shows. Following support slots with Enter Shikari, European tours and festival slots, their London show at Islington Academy was the second of two headline dates this week.
Before As Everything Unfolds, Lake Malice (7) were on main support duties for the evening. The power-pop/trap metal duo, bolstered by a session drummer for the live show, put on an entertaining and fun thirty minute set. The sound mix wasn’t always spot on throughout, but it didn’t stop the crowd from reacting to each passing song with more and more enthusiasm. With big favourites Stop The Party and Blossom finishing things off, Lake Malice served as an enjoyable build up for the main event.
As Everything Unfolds (9) aren’t quite at full power tonight, with frontwoman Charlie Rolfe admitting early on to being diagnosed with laryngitis two days before the start of the tour. If she hadn’t admitted it on stage, very few people would’ve realised. Charlie is always a vocal powerhouse live and this was no different, making it all the more impressive despite her ailments.
The start of the evening gave an opportunity to hear many of the best tracks from this year’s new AEU album Ultraviolet. Kicking off with the title track, it sounded ferociously heavy live, as did the drop in Slow Down. Meanwhile Saint Or Rogue has even more hooks to it live than on record.
Things fully came to life with the first ‘WELTO’ track (which is how As Everything Unfolds’ first album Within Each Lies The Other is affectionate known for short) Hiding From Myself. This was followed by a raucous Flip Side, with a huge circle pit engulfing the majority of those in the downstairs of Islington Academy. That song was destined to be an absolute smash hit life, and it absolutely is. A run of WELTO tracks followed, with Take Me There the pick of the bunch, Greyscale being dedicated to the bands’ much missed friend Ryan Chisholm (RIP) and Let Me Go being a rare welcome inclusion. Returning to Ultraviolet, both Twilight and the power-pop-tastic All I’ve Ever Known going down a storm.
A brief pause followed before the band returned to the stage. There was just enough time left for As Everything Unfolds to unleash their two biggest songs, a triumphant Felt Like Home and a thunderous closing On The Inside. Overcoming Charlie’s illness, As Everything Unfolds gave all those in attendance a fantastic show. The new songs from Ultraviolet work fantastically well, and will continue to take AEU from strength to strength live.
The As Everything Unfolds setlist was:
Ultraviolet
Slow Down
Saint Or Rogue
Blossom
Hiding From Myself
Flip Side
Take Me Away
Greyscale
Let Me Go
Twilight
All I’ve Ever Known
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Felt Like Home
On The Inside
Catch As Everything Unfolds supporting Electric Callboy around the UK during October 2023. They have also just been announced to open for Skindred in March 2024 at three shows, including at Wembley Arena. Get tickets for As Everything Unfolds’ shows with Skindred from Ticketmaster now on this link.