It is no surprise if you are a listener/subscriber/patreon to the phenomenal Two Promoters One Pod podcast to see the queue for this early Saturday evening show quickly wind from the venue to the Camden underground entrance. Confused and intrigued passers by enquire as to the headliner this evening. Australian post-Rock legends We Lost The Sea draw blank faces and we had not even got to describing the pull of the other two bands on the bill – Overhead, The Albatross and Dimscûa.
We Lost The Sea – Overhead, The Albatross – Dimscûa
Electric Ballroom, Camden – 23 May 2026
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Kudos must be given to Podcast co-hosts Gavin McInally and James Scarlett, who promoted the run. It is no easy thing throwing your money behind a potential loser, but the numbers at opening night in Nottingham were good, and tonight it seems that the merch team will again be busy.
Sold-out shows and upgraded venues for the other dates confirm that this package is doing good business.
We Lost The Sea
Headliner on this run, it is an unseemly early time for Australians We Lost The Sea to hit the stage. 8:05 pm to be precise. Having seen the band at Arctangent and twice the weekend before at Dunk Festival in Belgium, I knew what to expect.
So, I thought. Yet each time they play, something deep within stirs, and you find yourself gasping for breath as they stir the emotions to a level that you did not think possible.
Masters of the slow yet intense build up, the six-piece dive deep, drawing mainly from their 2025 masterpiece A Single Flower. A shift of gears is inevitable, but the drift from If They Had Hearts into A Dance With Death never fails to elevate the heart rate.
Intoxicating in their simplicity, it is the repetition and clever beats that make We Lost The Sea such a fantastic and fine headliner.
It was 2016’s Departure Songs that established WLTS in the big league. I endorse this with every fibre of my being. When Mark Owen lifts the intro riff to A Gallant Gentlemen, there is a genuine excitement in a close to capacity room, which can take 1,500 punters. It is a killer six minutes, defined by a mass of nodding and looks of intense focus.
It is a reasonably short set owing to the curfew (two more songs played the night after at Manchester), but for just shy of 90 minutes, the whole venue is transfixed. Each song ebbs and flows, the pattern following in a majestic manner. Slow build-ups reach crushingly heavy crescendos before bringing us back down to earth to reduce the elevated heart rate.
A Beautiful Collapse from Triumph & Disaster sits comfortably alongside Everything Here Is Black And Blinding, Bogatyri and evening closer Blood Will Have Blood.
Drenched in reds and blues, the lighting matches the mood that the band conjure up. They lurk in the mist, striding forth onto steps for the muscular parts, Matt Harvey and Carl Whitebread often holding their guitars aloft in justification.
They have earned it, and the crowd respond magnificently. No over-the-top chaos, just massively warm appreciation on a sweltering London evening. Crisp sound and superb lighting. It’s all just damn impressive.
It is over too soon, but the emotions still soar as I travel along the M4 home to Wales. I am just pleased I have a ticket for the final show of the tour in Bristol.
Overhead, The Albatross
Formed in Dublin in 2009, it has been a slow burn for Overhead, The Albatross. There is plenty to research if you want, but the key thing is that at long last the band are getting the traction and attention that their music and enthralling live shows deserve.
2024’s I Leave You This does the heavy lifting tonight, but it is not a surprise, given how breathtaking an album it is.
It is hard to categorise OTA. They sit firmly in the post-rock camp, but switch into electronica, pop and rock as well. Their songs are drenched in melancholy, sweetly constructed with stirring passages that swell with passion.
Your Last Breath opens the set, and instantly, there is nowhere to look but the stage. Bassist Stevie Darragh bounds around the stage, at times cajoling the audience, at other times in the photo pit or sat on the edge of the stage.
OTA have been with WLTS on the first leg of this tour across Europe, and they are sharp. Singer/guitarist Luke Daly’s spoken word hits the right spot, whilst guitarist Vinny Casey goes through his own range of emotions each time I see him play. Nothing manufactured, this is from the heart, and it is incredible.
The UK run sees Ryan Whelan step in behind the kit. He looks somewhat apprehensive but nails it completely. Their set flies by, with Hibakusha phenomenal.
The only thing missing is the bigger back projection that they can use (2025’s Damnation appearance was the cherry on the top for this), but what they have is enough for the finale that is Paul Lynch. As the song climaxes, there are tears around the venue as the audience join the band with the words.
Tears of joy, of sadness, and of remembrance. It is a song to remember those we have lost, and it works every time. A deserved bow sees them continue their ascent. It will not be long before they are the main event at venues like this.
Dimscûa
Championed on the podcast by Gavin McInally for the past 18 months, Berkshire’s Dimscûa’s streaming numbers have soared as a result. The early queue sports more of their shirts than either of their touring companions.
One fan on the barrier tells me that she saw them four times in a matter of months in her local pub just a year ago. Now they are a shoo-in for the likes of Damnation and ATG.
It is not hard to see why. 2025’s Dust Easter may have only had four songs on it, but the overload of crushing riffs, Alex Rowlands’ angst-ridden vocal delivery and the sheer power the band produce made it a must-have release. Early vinyl sold out quickly, and a limited number of reprints no doubt disappeared before the tour got to Manchester.
They own the stage for 30-odd minutes. It is mesmerising to watch. The riffs crash down, the power is increased, and Rowlands roars resonate. The crowd are hypnotised but still able to provide some of the loudest roars of the evening.
Like the other two bands, Dimscûa sweep along with huge peaks and plateaus that provide a roller coaster of a response. They hold the audience in their hands and smash it completely.
As they roll out final song Of Being And Nothingness, you can see the joy on stage. Despite the despair their music can conjure, there are nothing but smiles both on and off the stage. They could be huge.
