president // 21/04/26 // o2 forum kentish town

After their debut EP dropped in 2025, masked band PRESIDENT announced one of their first headline tours across the UK, hitting some pretty high capacity venue for a band that only burst onto the scene a year ago. Finally in the headline slot, these shows promised one of the first devoted touchpoints to interact with this behemoth of a band away from festivals and supporting other artists, and as soon as they announced it, I knew I had to be there. Although it's been a while since I booked the tickets, I was still nonetheless extremely excited to see this band live and hear some of my favourite tracks of last year live, as well as their two brand new singles which I have on repeat most days. My one anxiety going into this show, if I'm 100% honest, was that it would be over too fast, with some fans saying their set was only clocking in at about 45 minutes - but I pushed all that aside, ready to see this band continue to blaze their trail. Right, let's get into it - here's my breakdown and review of PRESIDENT live;

Venue

I, once again, got these tickets because of my O2 priority subscription - yeah, I know - but I do really love these O2 Academy venues. I came here a little while ago to see Boston Manor, and I do really love this one. Although there's no external line area, so we ended up wrapping our way around the surrounding buildings in a massive snaking line of fans, I am willing to say this was one of the friendliest crowds I've been in. I got chatting to a group of people (after becoming someone's windbreak to light a cigarette) who I ended up chatting and laughing with all the way into the venue, and I was really surprised by the tangible sense of community in that audience - it was a pleasure to be able to experience it and meet so many likeminded people.

The venue itself is brilliant, and I really love how the standing section is split into three different sections. The one at the front for the pit, the second raised section if you want a good view without the moshing, and the back section to be a little further removed from the crowd. I stayed in the second section for most of it, as I wasn't in the mood to solo pit it this time, but I will say the audience was insanely good. They were screaming along to the songs, cheering and having an awesome time. It was great to see everyone so active.

Merchandise

Guess who remembered to take a picture of the merch stand this time?? This guy! I digress, but the merch on offer at this rally was pretty awesome. From song specific tees and long sleeves to accessories and posters, this was one of the biggest ranges of merchandise I have seen. I got myself a tour tee, and one of the commemorative patches, after getting one from the King of Terrors release, it felt right to grab another when seeing them live. Everything was also really well priced, I think the Academy venues take less of a merch cut so bands can afford to not charge a premium on their merch, which was great to see and made the process nice and easy on my wallet - £35 for a tee? Yes please! The tees were all oversized, so they're boxy and a little longer in the sleeves, and although it's a fit I'm not too used to I really like it. I got myself a tour shirt (because I'm a sucker for tee with a date on it). It's a great quality base tee with some hardy prints, and looks like it'll survive a fair few washes. Have a stare at the stand below... I'm still thinking about that Angel Wings long sleeve but oh well;

What you'll also notice is a QR code hidden at the back of the merch table. Scanning it gave me the opportunity to sign up and become an official citizen, giving me permanent pre-sale access to PRESIDENT shows in the UK. Something tells me these guys might be going on tour again in the near future...

Support Act - theboyshadow

Whilst I was in the line, chatting to my new mates, they told me that the support act theboyshadow has only been a band since this year. Moreover, they only have one song that's out on Spotify - interesting. I went into their performance entirely blind, but was excited to be exposed to something new.

Their sound was hefty, volatile, and unlike anything I've experienced live. Blending electronic elements with doom core and screamo, but even that only does a little in terms of summing them up. They had three singers, two in full black and white costume, and a masked drummer at the back. No guitarist, no bassist, just three vocalists and a drummer. Their live show revolved around a backing track, which is all good with me, because the drums and insane extreme vocals bought the volatility and edge that their performance needed. All three of those vocalists, masked or otherwise, had an awesome energy, their cleans were melodic and catchy, and those extreme shouts and fry vocals were splintering. They shot through their set back to back, blasting their way from track to track, which are all as of now unreleased, except 'Give me a Seam and I'll Show you the Meaning'.

If I had one small criticism, it wouldn't be about the music - just the costumes. The two masked figures were in full face balaclavas as well as beanies, which just ended up making them look a little... how do I put this gently... stupid? The beanies were saggy at the back, and as they threw themselves around the stage, the little hat flaps slapped about stupidly as they performed, and just ended up making them look a bit absurd. In my head, use a balaclava, or use a beanie, the combo of the two was just a little strange in my head. But hey, that's just me!

Overall, an awesome opener, giving that first burst of energy before the headliners arrived.

PRESIDENT

I will start this section on the main event confirming my previous comment in the opening section of this post - PRESIDENT'S set did indeed last about 45 minutes. Did it matter in the end? F*** no! From the minute the band took the stage to an eruption of noise, they dominated. Opening with Fearless they instantly took hold of the crowd - their live sound is colossal. The guitar and bass was chunky, the drums were perfectly balanced, sitting perfectly in the live mix. In terms of vocals, I am willing to say with my chest that Mr. President sounds exactly like he does on the recordings, if not even better. It's a voice that bleeds emotion, is steeped in it, and you can't help but feel every note of it. During the callouts, he held the mic to the crowd, and every single person in the sold out O2 Arena shouted back 'FEARLESS!'. It was amazing, and genuinely made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end.

Up next was Dionysus, not my favourite song from their discography, but in a live setting it still went off - the heaviness of the opening was absolutely amazing, and hit so insanely hard. The light show that came with this performance was insane, the moving lights throwing purple and red shadows across the stage as they performed out of their skin. Even though all of their faces were covered, it did not stop the vibe from being electric, the instrumentalists feeling the music as they played, and Mr. President marching across the stage, pointing at the crowd, holding out the mic to let the audience sing. After that came one of my favourite PRESIDENT tracks of all time RAGE. Hearing this song live, singing along with a crowd full of people - it felt like a core memory. It was truly amazing, and I felt so lucky to be there and experience it.

After, they launched into one of their brand new tracks Angel Wings. Even though it's a new song, they played it like they have been for years, with insane amounts of precision and finesse. Even in those extended vocal extremes, he absolutely nailed it. Have a look at the full setlist below and let me know what you think;

1. Fearless

2. Dionysus

3. RAGE

4. Angel Wings

5. Change (In the House of Flies) - Deftones Cover

6. Conclave

7. Mercy

8. Destroy Me

9. In the Name of the Father

Yeah - literally every song they've released, plus a cover of an iconic Deftones track, which they absolutely nailed. Conclave was another highlight, which felt like an amazing unifying moment, especially as the crowd sung the final line, once again with the microphone turned out to us as we shouted along. Mercy was also stunning, once again absolutely nailed, the performance was polished to a sheen, with the crushing guitar and slamming drum grooves translated into the live space perfectly.

Destroy Me was up next, which once again was stunning. Then, as he stood at his stand and a voice claimed they would be back soon, they played In the Name of the Father to close out the evening - the first song they ever released closing out the final sold out night of one of their first headline tours. That felt like a moment in time, a real celebration of the lengths they had gone to, to then arrive at that very moment, and what a moment it was. As they left the stage, I began to leave the crowd, weaving my way back to the station, going over the insane experience I just had.

Overall

I am a real believer in the fact that the live music experience either makes or breaks beliefs in your favourite bands or musicians. Seeing them on a stage, no tricks, no production magic, just them and you. In this moment, at a sold out O2 Arena, PRESIDENT affirmed my love for them and their music. They were dynamic, pitch perfect sonically, and put on one hell of a show. I feel like I've watched an already massive band continue to rise, continue to hone and master their craft as they take on the world - and this gig felt like a victory lap, a real flexing of where they've been, and where they'll continue to go. I am so seriously excited to see where they go from here, and to see them live again, I would pounce on the chance if you ever get it to see PRESIDENT live, even if the set is bite-sized, because they will more than make up for it in sheer musical domination.

Rating: 9/10