Obeyer w/ derail. @ Blondies, London – 03/07/26
Updated: Jul 9
Photo: Jon Sugden (@reprievevision)
Obeyer and derail. prove that heavy music does not always need an arena
London in the summer is a constant stadium run; with a 12-night residency in Wembley, Harry Styles had half of London commuting to the far north, Metallica had 70K fans piling up in London stadium, Biffy Clyro sold out Finsbury Park whilst My Chemical Romance are getting ready to take over Wembley with stadium gigs around the country. And yet, despite all the stadium offerings, there are shows that prove capacity and impact are two entirely different things.
Blondies has never pretended to be a glamorous venue; it is dark, intimate and when it’s packed, it feels less like a music venue and more like someone decided to host a metal show in their front room. On Friday night, it was packed wall-to-wall for Northampton heavyweights Obeyer, with support from newcomers derail., and not once did the room feel too small for either band. If anything, it felt like they were both outgrowing it in real time.
Opening a show in a small venue when large crowds are dispersed across London is a tough act; people are still buying drinks and enjoying the sun, catching up with mates they haven’t seen since their last local gig and pretending they will move closer “after this pint”. derail. however weren’t interested in easing anyone into the evening. Despite battling a handful of technical difficulties with the audio system during their set (because no grassroots venue is ever complete without at least one PA deciding it’s had enough), they refuse to let the hiccups “derail” the momentum (see what I did there?). If anything, the interruptions only made the band’s composure and professionalism more impressive. There was no frustration, no awkwardness and no pauses, they simply got on with it and delivered a performance that shook the walls. And once they did, the room woke up.
Within minutes, the front of the crowd transformed into a modest but enthusiastic moshpit, as people followed their instinct to break bones as the band showed they clearly understand how to balance groove with aggression. Most importantly, the band has the sound of people who enjoy playing and watching them live for the first time made it difficult to reconcile the size of the ‘stage’ with the confidence they had during their performance. They carry themselves like a band that has spent years forging their craft and refining their chemistry rather than three random people making noise and chasing trends. Every guitar breakdown landed with force and the drums impact literally could be felt to the core, with the energy of the people being thrown twofold back to the band.
Photos: Charis Lydia Bagioki
Edits: Jon Sugden (@reprievevision)
And then came Obeyer. For a band whose journey has already included shedding an old identify and rebuilding it from the ground up with a completely new and improved vision, there is something very satisfying about seeing them command a room with such confidence. Their reinvention wasn’t ornamental; they are now a band that is darker, heavier and more focused on creative direction, all of which boil down to the release of their newest album “Chemical Well” through a label co-founded by Periphery’s Misha Mansoor. It was a gamble but it paid off, giving the band the freedom to fully embrace the atmosphere and grooves that defined their newer sound.
Live, the songs are somehow even heavier and more impactful. There are no backtracks and polished production to create atmosphere, yet Obeyer can generate it organically with their riffs, precision, rhythm and guitar breakdowns. Their frontman is immediately compelling, without constantly demanding attention, but naturally getting it. His interaction with the crowd never felt scripted, whilst as the set progressed there were even more moshes, circle pits and a few shy crowdsurfers (yes, even in Blondies, that is entirely possible if you have enough confidence). The line between performer and audience was completely blurred, creating a kind of atmosphere where participation was not just encouragement, but part and parcel of the show. It felt like the band had completely engulfed the venue rather than the other way around.
The crowd engagement was definitely the night’s most defining features; with people screaming lyrics back, bodies crashing together at the front, and energy that did not dip for one second. For a room this size, it felt remarkably loud and the community you often hear about in heavy music was in full swing during both bands’ sets. There were no smoke cannons, pyro or LED walls to convince people something monumental was happening. There were just two exceptional bands in a packed room and enough volume to make any sort of conversation entirely impossible (which frankly is EXACTLY how a show should be experienced). For me, watching the show with a couple of margaritas from the back certainly made the night even more enjoyable.
Grassroots venues are often describe as the places where “the magic happens” (even though most of the time it’s just a romanticised version of sticky floors and questionable toilets). Yet, the reality comes pretty close to that: these rooms matter because they allow bands like derail. and Obeyer to build genuine connections before the rest of the country catches on. On the evidence of Friday night, neither band looks destined to play venues this size for very long. And when they don’t, everyone crammed into Blondies will inevitably claim they were there first.
Photos: Jon Sugden (@reprievevision)
