London’s OVO Arena Wembley fills with tears of adoration as generation-spanning emo icons Pierce The Veil embark on their largest UK show to date. For tonight’s show, they are joined by Cavetown, Hot Mulligan and Crawlers.
Pierce The Veil – Cavetown – Hot Mulligan – Crawlers
OVO Arena Wembley – 23 September 2025
Words And Photography: Matt Pratt
On a mammoth tour that has already seen Pierce The Veil visit the likes of New York’s Madison Square Garden, our thoughts are caked in wistful glances to the integral role they played in the noughties and early 2010s emo scene.
Few bands can stick around for 20 years and brag about consistent, continuous growth, but that is the reality for these tireless veterans. 
They remain as popular as ever, even contributing to the modern zeitgeist with TikTok trends and an unwavering sense of belonging in their musical scene. Who could blame them, as they take to an arena as densely packed as their setlist, with fans who are far from timid.
Pierce The Veil
In contrast to the heavy rock sound expected of the three-piece, the show begins with a rendition of José Alfredo Jiménez’s El Rey. This is a nod to the band’s Mexican heritage and an important reminder that our beloved Metal community is a home to all races, cultures, and creeds.
The band’s pride in their culture runs so deep that they have even rebranded their personal sound, rich in their identity, as Mexicore. As the traditional tune fades to an anticipatory growl, the crowd buzzes with excitement for the arrival of Los Reyes.
As the on-screen throwback iconography representing the various chapters of Pierce The Veil’s history cuts to black, the commanding trio unleash palpable ferocity, throwing song after song at the crowd with little pause for breath.
A vicious string of songs, including Death Of An Executioner, Bulls In The Bronx, Pass The Nirvana, and I’m Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket, open the packed show in the very same city that once met this band with boos on their early tours. There is no such risk tonight. It is wall-to-wall hysterical fans who lap up every second.
Should the laundry list of scintillating hits not be enough to command maximum energy, the band even manage to squeeze in a cover of the Pixies hit, Where Is My Mind.
Not feeling as though their performance is loud enough, our illustrious frontman whips out a secret weapon: a megaphone, complete with a spotlight so he can pinpoint anyone not singing along. However, the crowd participates with such enthusiasm that even a megaphone cannot drown out their voices.
Vital to the success of a legacy band in the modern day is the ability to remain relevant in a world where relevancy is but a fleeting thought. Pierce The Veil have lucked out in this regard, as one of their songs, So Far So Fake, has found its way into the TikTok limelight, gaining the band notoriety amongst Gen Z.
Gone are the days of Metalheads arrhythmically flailing roughly to the beat. With the trend towards sensual, gyrating bass lines dominating the airwaves, bands like Sleep Token and Pierce The Veil are paving the way for a new wave of booty shakers and beat boogiers.
The magnitude of the event is not lost on frontman Vic Fuentes, who gushes thanks to their incredible fans who remain deafening late into the evening. He also heaps gratitude on his ‘Emergency Contacts’ – his band members, who have been vital to the project’s longevity, and his partner, to whom he dedicated the song. 
Pierce The Veil wrap things up in the same fashion they have played all night: with an explosion of fan-favourite, arena-worthy hits. Disasterology, Hold On Till May, and King For A Day close out the evening’s entertainment, and it finally feels like we can surface for air.
There is no doubt that the boys have done their Wembley debut justice here tonight, and with festival announcements in full swing, maybe it is not unreasonable to hold out hope for a return next summer.
Crawlers
Opening the support early into the evening are Crawlers. The North Western band have barely been around for five minutes, having released their debut album just last year, but have amassed impressive support with their moody and dark sound.
The dinnertime attendance is modest but plentifully loud, as the band’s front woman slinks about the stage, confidently delivering their grungey hits.
The performance is an eye-opening introduction to one of the hottest up-and-coming prospects in the alternative music scene.
Hot Mulligan
Hot Mulligan are undoubtedly the heaviest of the support acts and almost seem apologetic for the ferocity of their sound, conceding that they are nothing like our final support, Cavetown, as all they do is scream.
They are wrong on that final point, as there are plenty of angst-laden, cloying vocals that pair well with the nostalgic Midwest-emo sound that has become synonymous with this well-travelled band. 
As their dark and energetic set draws to a close, the temperature is rising and the room is filling up. Hot Mulligan played their part to a tee and set things up delightfully for our final support act of the evening.
Cavetown
Cavetown’s presence on the support line-up was somewhat of a surprising addition. Seemingly significantly lighter listening than our headliners, it feels an odd final warm-up for the spicy affair to follow.
But the enthusiasm with which the now packed OVO Wembley Arena receives the singer-songwriter is mind-blowing and confirms why the talented musician had landed such a lucrative slot.
Seeing the young Gen Z talent arrive on stage in their stylish bunny-eared hat, his personality is well mirrored in the front rows of the audience.
While he may not offer the same weight of heavy music that Pierce The Veil would soon unleash, it is obvious that the heart of his music rings true with this new generation of fans.
There is true humbleness in the eyes of the young wordsmith, absorbing the monumental venue and all of the adoring eyes looking back at him. 
