"Meet Me at the Reservoir" - PUP and Illuminati Hotties, live at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London (May 2025)
/PUP piloted a potent punk double-header at O2 Forum Kentish Town last night, with California’s Illuminati Hotties preceding the chaotic Canadians as opening act.
PUP, live at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Sandwiched between new-music drops from each artist in May, the circus of searing sarcasm and disarming sincerity was a rare gig where I was stoked to see the opening acts (local openers Goo were a fuzzy poppy surprise too).
Many openers end up being mere preambles to the main meal, but I’d have gone to see Sarah Tudzin anyway (the ringleader behind DIY powerpop-punk outfit Illuminati Hotties), even if the menu had been switched around.
Such is the infectious impact and importance of her 2024 album Power, with it being the very hook that got me into the Hotties. It was one of my album highlights of the year, chock-full of quirky catchiness, so I was genuinely hyped to have her in town. And she has another EP out in a few weeks? That’s ‘777’ on 2025’s sonic slot-machine.
Illuminati Hotties - '777', live at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Illuminati Hotties - 'Can't Be Still', live at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Riding high on the recent release of Who Will Look After The Dogs, Toronto’s reigning kings of cathartic chaos had much to bark about too.
True to form, PUP turned self-deprecating anthems into a communal purge in the live setting, blending morbid humour with shoutable choruses that has you stifling giggles while headbanging (such as the ludicrous ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will’).
It might not make for a healthy outlook on life, but it makes for one hell of a punk show letting all the dirty laundry and dark thoughts out to dry.
I guess you live and you learn, but PUP weren’t on their own for the penultimate song of the evening, as all three bands piled on for a riotous rendition of ‘Reservoir’.
What a Pathetic Use of Potential on a Friday night.
PUP - 'Reservoir' (feat Illuminati Hotties on vocals and Goo on guitar), live at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Writer Kurt Duvel recaps a raucous punk double-header by PUP and Illuminati Hotties in London, where cathartic chaos, communal choruses, and one big 'Reservoir' rendition proved that misery loves musical company.