Last night, London got its first proper taste of for King + Country, and wow—what a treat it was. The Smallbone brothers, Joel and Luke, took the stage at Indigo at The O2, bringing their signature mix of heart, talent, and showmanship all the way from Nashville.
Walking onto the stage dressed in old-world military-style jackets, Joel and Luke immediately set a tone that felt timeless and theatrical. While the stage at Indigo is cosy compared to the main O2 arena, they somehow managed to make it work for their nine-and-a-half-piece band. That said, their performance could’ve easily filled the larger venue without missing a beat.
The show kicked off with a beautiful, stripped-back version of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’, a soft, atmospheric carol that enveloped the room—setting it alight with anticipation. But it wasn’t long before the brothers cranked up the energy, diving into a jubilant ‘Joy To The World’. The holiday cheer began, and the Smallbones immediately had everyone on their feet.
Throughout the night, Joel and Luke kept things fresh, mixing Christmas classics with their original hits. Between songs, they shared memories and cracked jokes about their Australian Christmases, where Frosty the Snowman and roasting chestnuts made little sense under the blazing summer sun.
One moment that really stood out came during ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’. The brothers stepped off the stage and made their way through the crowd, shaking hands and exchanging smiles. For a venue packed with people, it suddenly felt intimate. It was impossible not to feel a connection with them at that moment—they were hosts welcoming us into their world.
Another highlight came when Joel brought his wife, Moriah Peters, on stage. Together, they performed a stirring rendition of ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’, and it was pure magic. Moriah’s vocals added an extra layer of richness, and the chemistry between her and Joel was undeniable. It was the kind of moment that felt personal; it felt like we were peeking into a touching family Christmas celebration.
Midway through the night, the pace slowed for something more reflective. Joel and Luke sat down on the edge of the stage, and with sincerity in their voices, they dedicated ‘Unsung Hero’ to their mother. A woman who, as Luke shared, held their family together during some of their darkest times. The song was a love letter not just to their own mother but to mothers everywhere, a tribute that visibly moved many in attendance.
The stories didn’t stop there. Before the intermission, Luke opened up about their collaboration with Compassion, a charity working to end child poverty. He recounted a story about how their family, upon arriving in America, faced overwhelming challenges but was shown generosity in a way they never expected—hospital bills paid by a complete stranger. It was a reminder of the good in the world and a call to action for all of us in the audience to pay it forward.
Next came ‘Silent Night’, and at the band’s urging, the crowd pulled out their phone torches, creating a sea of light that danced across the room as a glitter ball cast sparkles everywhere. For a few minutes, people were part of something bigger, singing along with strangers who suddenly didn’t feel so strange anymore.
The night wasn’t without its fun, too. Luke introduced his 10-year-old son to the stage for a special birthday celebration, and the audience enthusiastically sang Happy Birthday to him. Later, in a heartwarming full-circle moment, he returned to play the role of the ‘Drummer Boy’ during the band’s thunderous rendition of Little Drummer Boy. That final performance was everything you’d hope for—loud, energetic, and full of life. It brought the crowd to their feet and ended the evening on a high that left everyone buzzing.
for King + Country’s debut show was a masterclass in how to combine great, powerful music, heartfelt storytelling, and raw emotion to create something truly special. The night was a reminder to all of us of what makes the Christmas season so special: connection, generosity, and joy. And they did it in a way that felt warm, genuine, and unforgettable.
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Arriving at The O2 for the first night of Radiohead’s London residency, we walk in under Stanley Donwood artwork lining the walkway and the lines of the band’s bleak modern chant “Fitter Happier” printed on a huge banner hanging from the ceiling of the former Millennium Dome. The moment instantly brings back memories of walking into Oasis’ Live “25” tour earlier this summer. This is the other major rock return of the year and the atmosphere carries a different kind of excitement, yet the intensity feels just as real. Instead of bucket hats and throwing drinks into warm air, we have cold weather and a slow shuffle through the night to gather in the dark. Toniiiiiight, I’m a pig in a cage on antibiotics.
It almost feels unreal that nine full years have passed since Radiohead’s last album, the rich and sorrowful “A Moon Shaped Pool”, and that they have not toured since 2017. In between, we have seen several side-projects, including Ed O’Brien’s overlooked but inspired solo run as EOB and the way Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood nearly recreated Radiohead’s spirit under a different name through the sharp jazz-rock of The Smile, as well as a wave of controversy.
After performing in Tel Aviv in 2017, questions grew louder about the band’s connection to Israel as the horrors of the genocide in Gaza intensified. Attention landed on Greenwood’s collaboration with Dudu Tassa, an Israeli musician who has played for the IDF, and on Yorke’s later comments responding to criticism. The guitarist had joined anti-government protests in Israel, where his wife is from, and the band recently made their views clear again by speaking out against Netanyahu’s regime, insisting that music should be something that unites people from every culture. That idea guides the show tonight, where there is no sign of protest or boycott.
The audience surrounds the stage, which sits in the center to create a more personal and absorbing feeling than most massive arena shows ever manage. A flickering vocoder opens the room and builds tension before the band walk out and jump straight into old-school territory with the raw guitar gloom of “The Bends” opener “Planet Telex”. It is one of many choices designed to thrill the crowd from a group not always associated with this kind of approach, and the packed venue screams back “everything is broken. why can’t you forget?” as a shared release against everything falling apart in the world around us.
With a “busking approach” guiding the tour, the band rehearsed more than 70 songs and have performed around 43 so far, so this is not the predictable hit conveyor belt of Oasis’ shows. It feels refreshing to never know what is coming next. The setlist leans heavily on the treasures from “OK Computer” and “In Rainbows” and gives equal space to the once-dismissed but now appreciated “Hail To The Thief”. It creates a kind of Radiohead-style hit parade, without “Creep” of course, and includes the occasional glammed-up oddity to let the show breathe.
There is the roaring political fear of “2+2=5”, the huge and aching sweep of “Lucky”, the pulsing electronic rush of “15 Step” and the joyful sing-along of “No Surprises” anchoring the early part of the performance. This section also includes “Sit Down. Stand Up.” with a new soft happy hardcore ending, “Bloom” from the fragile “The King Of Limbs” that now carries a brighter neon energy, and “The Gloaming” flowing into “Kid A”, giving the night a moment to sink before everything intensifies again.
There is not a single chance for a toilet break from that moment onward. From the gentle pain of “Videotape”, to the wild three-part surge of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” into “Idioteque” and “Everything In Its Right Place”, to the guitar-driven “In Rainbows” songs and the massive first-act finale of “There There”, every moment lands exactly how a Radiohead fan would hope. The visuals also look spectacular.
Then we reach the reward of a seven-song encore that reads like fantasy on paper, complete with the newly viral “Let Down”, a playful return to “a song we wrote on a freezing cold farm in 1994” with the indie powerhouse “Just”, and the huge final blow of “Karma Police”. This show becomes the cinematic and artistic contrast to Oasis’ carefree chaos, capturing that feeling of “standing on the edge” and letting everything wash over you. The entire night carries a fierce energy and a well-judged sense of scale, offered with warmth and intention, and Yorke leans fully into his rockstar presence as the band rotate around the stage to engage each part of the arena. For a group that once cringed at the idea of “arena rock”, no one performs it better. A new album and another night like this would be welcome as soon as possible.
‘Planet Telex’
‘2 + 2 = 5’
‘Sit Down. Stand Up.’
‘Lucky’
‘Bloom’
‘15 Step’
‘The Gloaming’
‘Kid A’
‘No Surprises’
‘Videotape’
‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’
‘Idioteque’
‘Everything In Its Right Place’
‘The National Anthem’
‘Daydreaming’
‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’
‘Bodysnatchers’
‘There There’
‘Fake Plastic Trees’
‘Let Down’
‘Paranoid Android’
‘You and Whose Army?’
‘A Wolf at the Door’
‘Just’
‘Karma Police’
