Last month, UK band THE HOWLING played their first ever show, sold out at Blondie’s, London. With only two singles released from this project thus far, the night promised to be interesting at the very least. What else would they play? Would there be a cover to fill out the set? Will they announce the release for new music? These are all questions flowing through my head in the days and weeks leading up to this show, and I think the intrigue is part of what makes seeing a band’s debut performance such a special experience.
The very nature of the small dive bar venue fosters quite the atmosphere from the moment you walk in the door, with its corridor-like bar area forcing closeness and conversation with fellow punters. By the time emo/alternative support act Hell Hotel take the stage, Blondie’s is already completely packed out, the bar buzzing with energy about the night ahead. The duo of Demi and Tom set the tone perfectly. Personally, I was only a little familiar with Hell Hotel’s music prior to this evening, but their infectious high-energy performance won me over almost immediately.
The main event of the evening opens with the band’s first ever single, Little Promises, with frontman Mikey Lord lighting up the stage with his theatrics. It’s an instant hit, with the sold out crowd enthusiastically singing back every word despite its relative freshness. Then come a sequence of entirely new songs, none of which have been heard by the audience before, but are recieved with the same enthusiasm as an established bands most popular track! One of these tracks is titled New Religion — which we would later discover (through some clever guerilla marketing at the venue) is due to release February 13th 2026.
Towards the end of the set, the opening notes of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) are instantly recognised and the band deliver an exciting cover of the iconic song, much to the absolute ecstasy of the sold-out crowd. And that wasn’t the only surprise of the evening, as the show closed with another cover, this time of Madonna’s Like a Prayer – which of course went down a treat with the audience.
Overall, THE HOWLING prove to be a project to keep your eye on, particularly if you’re fans of bands like My Chemical Romance and spooky UK peers, Creeper. Not only does this performance establish THE HOWLING as an impressive new act in the ever-growing UK alternative scene, but the fresh twist on the songs they chose to cover (and the unexpected brilliance of it) let their audience know they’re not afraid to have a bit of fun with it too!
Photography: Lucy Cheyne (@lucycheynephoto on Instagram)
