Irish fire intertwines with American myth as Lord Huron and Pillow Queens become a payphone to paradise at the Eventim Apollo.
A meeting place of ghosts, dreamers, and lovers, Lord Huron and Pillow Queens – two bands from opposite sides of the Atlantic – come together to create something mystical and rare. Lord Huron’s sold-out London show at the Eventim Apollo is a poignant reminder of the power of live music to transport, create shared moments, and bring songs to life in ways recordings alone cannot.
Lord Huron – Pillow Queens
The Eventim Apollo, London – 19 September 2025
Words and photography: Ash Nash
Lord Huron
Lord Huron first emerged in 2010 as the solo project of Ben Schneider, a California-born musician with a background in film and visual arts. Over the years, the project has grown into a full band known for their cinematic and dreamlike take on Americana music. They have released four studio albums, each one exploring ghost stories, landscapes, and romance with a mix of folk, rock, and theatrical instrumentation.
From the moment Schneider steps on the Eventim Apollo stage with his guitar, it is clear his musicianship is at the heart of the band’s spell casting and the centrepiece of an unfolding story. Rich and splendid, yet delicate and expressive, he has the power to conjure intimacy in ballads and drive momentum on more energetic tracks. 
Lord Huron open with Who Laughs Last, a sly, sepia-toned introduction to an evening of sonic mystery. They glide through their catalogue, finely balancing older songs with new, and intimacy with grandeur. Backing Schneider is a group of skilled musicians, and together, they turn each song into a fully realized world, demonstrating both technical skill and emotional understanding.
Miguel Briseño’s bass lines ground the sprawling Americana with their flourishing complexity. Mark Barry on drums drives the energy, shifting seamlessly between quiet, contemplative passages and explosive crescendos. Tom Renaud adds texture and depth with his guitar, echoing Schneider’s melodies while introducing shimmering counterpoints that elevate the songs to a higher realm. And the atmospheric vocals of keyboardist Misty Boyce become a crucial voice in the duets, transforming the live arrangements into something both intimate and compelling. 
By the time Ancient Names, Pt. I, thunders in, the audience is already spellbound, riding shotgun on a mythic journey. Lord Huron turn the Eventim Apollo into a half-lit speakeasy with Long Lost, before dropping the tempo for the devastating duet of I Lied, a moment so raw it feels like eavesdropping on two star-crossed lovers at the end of the world.
Ends Of The Earth expands into a huge singalong moment, with the audience’s voices carrying the chorus as the stage lights trace the Eventim Apollo’s arches. But it is The Night We Met that stops time: every voice in the hall rises up in unison, a choir of longing and regret that turns the venue into a chapel of communal memory.
For the encore, The World Ender storms in with outlaw swagger, Nothing I Need delivers a moment of quiet reflection, and Not Dead Yet closes the night with a devil-may-care grin, reminding us that beneath all the melancholy, this band still knows how to ride hard and fast into the dark.
Lord Huron are vagabond musicians whose work seamlessly blends narrative, melody, and atmosphere into an immersive storytelling experience. The audience left carrying pieces of those stories, proof that great music is capable of creating worlds open to all. I think they sold quite a few vinyls too, which is always a bonus!
Pillow Queens
Before Lord Huron’s widescreen Americana fills the venue, Dublin’s Pillow Queens set the stage with thirty-five minutes of heart, grit, and harmonic longing. Pillow Queens take the Eventim Apollo on a journey of songs that demands attention and earns every cheer, fiercely carving out a realm entirely their own.
They open with February 8th, a song that balances raw emotion with resilience, its guitars sharp and steady as Pamela Connolly’s voice carries across the Eventim Apollo. Pillow Queens use everything in their arsenal: the twin vocals of Connolly and Sarah Corcoran soar like twin lighthouses casting signals through storm-dark waters, while the snarls and roars of the guitars in Suffer fill the venue with urgency.
Like A Lesson reveals Pillow Queens’ mastery of stillness, every note a sigh and every pause a heartbeat suspended, leaving the audience to fall into a hushed reverence. Gone surges next, arms and pulses raised by the tidal push of the bass and drums. Be By Your Side offers a gentler moment, while Be A Big Girl strikes back with defiant power. Heavy Pour rumbles low and steady, the sound physically shaking the space.
The high point of Pillow Queens’ set comes with Liffey, when Misty Boyce of Lord Huron joins the band on stage. Their river-song is a fresh blend of Irish fire braided with American legend, their woven voices untethering this moment from time and causing it to linger long after the final note falls.
By the time Pillow Queens leave the stage, the audience isn’t just warmed up – they are fully immersed, ready for the extraordinary journey ahead. 
