10th of July, 2026

Metal Is Good & Stuff once again struggled the summer bars of London to see US alt-metal stalwarts, MUSHROOMHEAD play live, with London thrash workhorses HELGRIND offering surprise support...

If there is one take away from anyone who has witnessed MUSHROOMHEAD, be it recorded, videoed or live, it is usually one of pleasant surprise.

Many mistake the Cleveland, Ohio masked mob as another Slip”NOT”, and that is purely from a visual standpoint.
I’ll just briefly touch on this and move on. MUSHROOMHEAD formed two years before the Iowa juggernaut, the mask wearing thing is still contested to this day (depending on what shit stirring keeps you going).
Those who listened to both can and will inform you that, musically, the two bands come from very different sides of the metal spectrum.

With nine albums under their belt, many will know them best for their 2002 album XX (which is, in fact, a compilation of rerecorded tracks from their first two albums). Yes, this repackaging was to capture some of that Slipknot hype that exploded, but who can blame them? Pay is pay, a gig is a gig, and there was never really any animosity between the two camps, anyway.

You know how it goes… bullshit sells shit.

But, that is not the reason for this. We are here for the recent MUSHROOMHEAD gig at a small London venue in London, run by that most odious company O2 (author’s opinion only).
Before the Ohio nonet, though, there was another surprise, and that was the support act…

I’ll be upfront right now, the main draw for my attendance on this night was HELGRIND.
I’ve known the vocalist Paula, off and on, from way back to our teenage years.
Hell… we even jammed and dreamed of being a band once (we went by the names The Out Patience and Sheep Warrior while mucking about and figuring out how to hold instruments). One of us took it seriously, released albums and made a career in heavy music, while the other writes about heavy music for shits and giggles part time. Everyone’s a winner.

Anyhoo…

Having a thrash band like HELGRIND support an internationally known alt/avant-garde metal act was like some fever dream lottery, but one I couldn’t resist going.
Recently a five piece, HELGRIND perform sinister and serious metal with a tongue in cheek stage presence that makes UK thrash so unique.

Songs like the openers BACK FROM HELL and BURN burst forth like a deadly salvo of deadly menace. Even after RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION, the unsuspecting crowd seemed shellshocked. After some reassuring patter from Paula, necks became looser.
Tracks like PROPHECY OF DESTRUCTION and SAVIOUR became less anomalous and more obligatory with furious pace and unrelenting aggression.
There was only one thing left, after everyone was adequately tenderised, and that was the HELGRIND treatment of The Ramones classic, Blitzkrieg Bop. Always a pleasure, never a chore. After this, I just hoped that everyone had enough energy left for the main event.

Fresh off the ferry from the Alcatraz festival in Belgium and a day after a stint at Bloodstock, MUSHROOMHEAD once again played the Islington O2, one of the more intimate halls in the O2 portfolio.

Starting your set with the Spongebob Squarepants theme over the PA could be construed, to a casual ear, as just another point to prove some Splipknot mimicking (via Corey Taylor), but I’m sure I’m over thinking things at this point.
All such thoughts soon left once EYE TO EYE beckoned the throng to move. It is with songs like this and others played that differentiate them from Iowa’s sons.
MUSHROOMHEAD come from a polar opposite of the metal world. Theirs is a sound that orbits a more gothic, industrial, alternative star, as opposed to the angst driven, aggressive assault.

During the set, the smaller stage meant that space was a commodity, and it was handled elegantly, heavy, percussion led parts had the water drummers up front, while the hooks and grooves saw them exit to give the bassist and guitarist their spotlights.
The same extended to the singers, if you don’t have lyrics, you weren’t there.
This revolving change of characters added a visual theatre that outweighed the bare bones performance.
Costume wise, this tour see’s the band in a more levelled spec-ops, dare I say Ice agent uniform. A stark difference from the hypergothic garb from four years ago, the last time I caught them playing here. It was the sort of thing that adds a bit of lore for the more dedicated.

Speaking of which… I am one of those semi-casuals that got hooked on the XX album and dabbled into later albums, finding gold throughout.
This tour is for the hardcore, where those that stood firm through thick and thin were paid back in full. Familiar tracks like QWERTY, THE HERESY and SEEN IT ALL were all present, along with lesser known to me numbers MADNESS WITHIN, PREPACKAGED and 12 HUNDRED. All were received warmly by the faithful and appreciated by the rest.
From a personal standpoint the highlight came near the end, when their segmented treatment of Pink Floyd’s Empty Spaces ushered in BORN OF DESIRE, further validating my soft spot for this band.

On the way home, I had a bit of an epiphany, although it may come down to how I surround myself musically.
While MUSHROOMHEAD make no secret of their influences from Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails and others, bands like this are a rare breed. Saying this may incite a list of like minded artists, and I welcome it.
From this old metalhead’s position, that alternative headspace has an audience, and MUSHROOMHEAD deliver. Even down to the leftfield but no less inspired choice of support act.
If MUSHROOMHEAD can be open minded enough to welcome such things, why can’t we all allow something out of pocket into our lives.

Metal is for the brave, it’s shows like this that show your true mettle.