Gig: HEALTH @ Electric Brixton, London
HEALTH by Jez Pennington
On 20 October, London’s Electric Brixton hosted a thrilling night of industrial rock as HEALTH brought their Rat-Based Warfare: The Old World tour to London. With its blend of classic charm and modern vibe, the venue set the stage for an evening of heavy noise, pulsing synths, and unfiltered energy. Joined by GosT and Zetra, HEALTH kept the audience fully engaged from start to finish, each act delivering a distinctive, high-impact performance.
The night opened with GosT’s darkwave rhythms, followed by Zetra’s atmospheric, shoegaze-inspired sound. HEALTH’s explosive set capped off the event, creating an immersive and electrifying experience.
GosT
GosT kicked off the night with their signature mix of synthwave and industrial, delivering a commanding performance that was both eerie and electrifying. The masked artist took over the stage, blending harsh electronics with metal influences to create a pulsing, sinister atmosphere. Their set set the stage perfectly for the darker sounds that lay ahead, launching the evening with intense energy.
Zetra
Zetra built on the night’s heavy atmosphere. The London-based duo offered up their own mix of doom metal and shoegaze, creating a sound that was both atmospheric and crushing. Their live performance amplified the emotional weight of their music, with moments of quiet, eerie beauty giving way to intense crescendos of sound. Zetra’s vocals soared through the venue, layered over deep, distorted guitars, creating an immersive experience that captured the audience's attention. Their set was a perfect bridge between GosT’s electronic intensity and HEALTH’s looming, heavier sound.
HEALTH
When HEALTH took the stage, the crowd at Electric Brixton was more than ready. The band wasted no time and dove straight into their set with "IDENTITY," instantly setting the tone for what would be an intense and unrelenting night. Their industrial-electronic sound enveloped the room with a force that was both precise and chaotic. The heavy beats and distorted guitars from their latest album Rat Wars resonated through the venue, shaking the walls and pulling the audience deeper into the sonic storm.
Jake Duzsik's vocals cut through the dense noise, shifting between an almost haunting fragility on tracks like "GOD BOTHERER" and a raw aggression on "CRACK METAL" and "MEN TODAY," matching the intensity of Johnny Famiglietti's driving bass and BJ Miller's relentless drumming. As the band tore into "HATEFUL" and "ZOOTHORNS," the energy in the room reached a fever pitch, with heads banging and mosh pits erupting in the crowd. It was a visceral, almost primal reaction, as HEALTH’s music demanded nothing less.
The band’s ability to blend punishing noise with eerie melodies was showcased throughout, particularly on "STONEFIST" and "PSYCHONAUT." The combination of harsh electronic elements and live instrumentation created a thick, enveloping soundscape that had the audience in a trance-like state. They kept up this intensity through "NEW COKE," its thundering beats shaking the floor, before easing momentarily into the atmospheric "BODY/PRISON."
As they moved into a cover of Deftones' "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)," the crowd sang along, the familiar riffs offering a moment of unity before HEALTH ramped the energy back up with "ASHAMED" and the explosive "TEARS." The band continued their onslaught with "WE ARE WATER," leaving the audience with just enough time to catch their breath before unleashing the brutal finale of "FEEL NOTHING" and "DSM-V."
When the final notes faded into the night, there was a sense that HEALTH had taken full command of the Electric Brixton, leaving behind a crowd buzzing with adrenaline and ringing ears. From start to finish, the set was an all-encompassing, visceral experience that blurred the lines between noise and melody, precision and chaos.
