The long-awaited return of Blackbriar saw the subterranean The Underworld near to bursting as the crowd fought both for air and some view of the stage. Sold out well before the night and with a queue much longer for the merch desk than the bar, it seemed that everyone was out to make the most of this one-off UK show during this European tour.
Blackbriar – Forever Still
The Underworld, Camden – 28 October 2025
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Gina Smith
Blackbriar draw fans whose passion was nothing short of all-consuming. Now into their thirteenth year, the Dutch sextet may have been slow off the blocks, taking nine years to release their debut album. But with a work rate of a fresh full-length release every two years, they have certainly been consistent.
Touring in support of this year’s acclaimed A Thousand Little Deaths, Blackbriar’s brand of dark, symphonic fairytales truly come to life onstage, and with singer Zora Cock inhabiting each song’s central character, the oft-cited Kate Bush meets Amy Lee comparisons are not too wide of the mark.
With her flowing red hair, she is certainly a visual focus, but this is more than backed up by vocals that can utterly bewitch as the band creates all sorts of mayhem around her.
Eschewing any notion of slavishly following a ‘concept’, each number is more a vignette that can go from the smallest whisper to a punishing pounding as the waves of sound pour from the speakers.
On the intimate club stage of The Underworld, it is all very impressive, and the wonder is what they could do on a much bigger platform than this.
Whilst this all sounds grand, the bottom line is that Blackbriar are most definitely a rock band and with heavy hitters like opener Bluebeard’s Chamber and I’d Rather Burn more forceful than their recorded counterparts, there is more than enough to shake the roof.
Each song is greeted with near rapture, audience sing-alongs are a regular occurrence as fists punch the air and heads are well and truly shaken.
The interplay between guitarists Bart Winters and Robin Koezen sees the pair weaving in and out of the notes, Winters’ solos kept tight for added impact as the keys of Ruben Wijga add colour.
Mention must be made of drummer René Boxem and the frenetic moves of bass player Siebe Sol Sijpkens, seemingly the happiest person in the venue, given the smile permanently attached to his face.
Anthemic numbers run the gauntlet from the lightest of touches to bombast, and it is impossible not to get swept away by the whole thing, especially with tracks like The Fossilized Widow and Crimson Faces transporting the crowd to far distant lands.
Whilst there is a temptation to take this all crushingly seriously, the band seemed to be having a great time onstage, a reflection of the warmth shown by those crammed shoulder to shoulder in every space in front of them.
There is certainly drama in the music, the uplifting feel of Until Eternity and an epic A Last Sigh of Bliss do nothing but elevate things to sky-scraping levels.
By the time the last notes of Green Light Across The Bay ring out, the victory that was certain reaches fever pitch and happy people walk out into the cold night air knowing they have witnessed something truly special.
Blackbriar are fast becoming a band that will conquer arenas.
Forever Still
Opening the evening, Forever Still are also celebrating the band hitting thirteen years since forming, and this pairing is done with some careful crafting, the Danes providing a rougher-edged take on their big, visceral numbers.
Urgent opener Survive sets things out from the start, the rush of guitars and an electronic rumble providing a base for the whisper to a scream vocals of Maja Shining.
Not interested in taking prisoners, the twisting Find A Way races along, but there is plenty of light and shade here as the e-bow playing of guitarist Inuuteq Kleemann and otherworldly vocals and keys bring an electrifying This Dark Abyss and Shining is stunning on So I Run.
With so many highlights crammed into one set, the time flies by, and there is the hope that it will not be long before Forever Still make a return to these shores.
Not many bands can transition so smoothly between the ferocious and onto the sublime by way of an industrial gothic soundscape, but few bands can boast numbers like Breathe In Colours or Vermillion Fade.
With multi-instrumentalist co-founder Mikkel Haastrup bringing all sorts of tones and textures and drummer Viktor Enebjörn providing the drive, the quartet sound at times more like a nuclear symphony than a four-piece rock ‘n’ roll band.
Forever Still came, saw and conquered, and the world is all the better for that.
