HEALTH’s performance at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London felt like stepping into an experience. The stage production with the TV screens, lighting, and band performance, together with the iconic venue, perfectly blends together to create something much bigger than a traditional live show.
The band played a set of 15 songs, most from the albums Conflict DLC and Rat Wars. With the heavy tones of "Hateful" and "Trash Decade," the band set the show to be heavy & dark, with the breakdowns sounding even heavier in the big venue.
HEALTH live at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire | Photos by @gianspeaking
Despite the dark and somewhat intimidating atmosphere, I noticed that there was also a strong connection between the band and the crowd. Both bassist John Famiglietti and singer Jake Duzsik took a few moments to address the audience by encouraging them to clap and sing-alongs and getting everyone involved, with the crowd turning into mosh pits where the breakdowns were kicking in.
Fans were constantly singing lyrics back to the band throughout the set, and on the final song, the energy reached another level, with an endless wave of more than 15 crowd surfers taking over. This is something that the band definitely enjoyed so much, and they appreciated the love from fans. John Famiglietti also joined the crowd surfing 'movement' by throwing himself into the crowd for the last crowd surf of the night.
HEALTH is definitely a band worth experiencing live, particularly if you’re drawn to industrial, electronic, and heavier sounds. Their ability to combine crushing basslines, textures, and all around a stunning stage production makes their performances feel less like concerts and more like stepping into an entirely different world. Shepherd’s Bush Empire became the perfect playground for it.
HEALTH live at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire | Photos by @gianspeaking
HEALTH's tour across Europe continues through November hitting up countries such as Germany, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, and France with support from Carpenter Brut, VOWWS, Problems, and Doodseskader on select dates. If you've been thinking about going to one of these dates, I hope you know you're in for a hell of a night, and yes, crowdsurfing is encouraged!
