Live Review: Incubus - The O2, London 26/04/2025
Incubus took it back to the 00s on Saturday night in London with a stellar show full of nostalgic rock, turntable scratching and several unexpected covers.
The band’s almost two-hour-long set at the 02 wasn’t just a throwback show it was a spiritual experience, as the crowd re-lived their youth to the Californian musicians' blend of alt-funk-rock.
The band played their iconic and era-defying album Morning View in its entirety.
Maybe it was Brandon’s pitch-perfect and age defying voice, or the very apparent collective experience people shared with the album growing up, but there was something tangibly magical and special about the show.
A chill and laid-back vibe took over the stage, with three Persian rugs placed across the floor - the perfect arena for lead singer Brandon to do his slow, almost tai-chi like dancing and grooving.
First track of the night ‘Nice to Know You’ set the tone for the rest of the evening, with Brandon’s vocal acrobatics still as versatile and flexi as when the record was released.
He meandered about the stage with equal measure, all fluidity and flow.
The live turn-table scratching on stage was a welcome highlight of the night and a very nostalgic throwback, which Brandon beatboxed alongside.
The first chords of ‘Wish You Were Here’ flooded the stage to wild applause, with trippy psych visuals on the screens to match the undulating rolling rhythm of the song.
The pivotal sentiment in the line ‘and in this moment, I am happy’ was echoed around the sold out stadium, especially by the two bros next to me who were arm in arm, hands reaching to the sky, in a state of pure euphoria at watching the band play.
‘Just a Phase’ saw the stage drenched in blues and greens and a dappled water effect, mimicking the coastal-themed album cover.
The sound of the guitar lapped like moving water, rhythmic and hypnotic, as Brandon’s vocals swirled and swarmed over the instrumentals.
The slow building song culminated in a juddering cacophony of riffs that burst open like the floodgates of a dam.
‘Blood in My Mouth’ had an acoustic update, with the guitar twangs almost sounding country at times.
Brandon swapped the thrashy ferociousness of the original track for softer, yearning vocals.
The band sat at the front of the stage and the moment felt remarkably intimate - with the rugs on the floor it felt like I was watching an MTV Unplugged session from the 90s.
I even forgot I was in the 02 at one point, locking into the trio.
When I looked around people were just as locked in, throwing their full souls and selves into the music, with barely any phones filming the stage.
The singer obviously sensed this solid connection from the crowd as he said: “Thank you for joining us tonight on a trip down memory lane”.
Brandon's voice was incredibly emotive throughout the evening, at times hauntingly beautiful - during ‘Warning’ he almost sounded like a theremin.
There was something transcendental about a lot of the songs the band were playing, which I want to put down to the untapped power of playing an album through from start to finish, allowing the album’s story to play out in full the way it was intended.
Towards the latter half of the show the energy began to pick up, during ‘Have You Ever’ Brandon busted out some more energetic dance moves.
‘Are You In’ gets everyone up and dancing, as the slow building groove took over and possessed the crowd.
An absolute treat for the audience was a surprise rendition of ‘In The Air Tonight ‘ complete with the iconic drum solo.
Brandon introduced guitarist good time Mike, then also unexpectedly dived straight into ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna before launching into the penultimate album track ‘Under My Umbrella’.
Dreamy, magical track Aqueous Transmission concluded the album-focused set, as guitarist Mike brought out a sitar and Brandon played a gong.
The lead singer then announced: “Thank you for letting this record be a port of your lives. With your permission we’d like to play a few more songs.”
The band smash through ‘Anna Molly’ and ‘The Warmth’ as the crowd go ballistic, as well as blending ‘Vitamin’ with a very cool cover of ‘Glory Box’ by Portishead, sung by Brandon and bassist Nicole.
An acoustic version of ‘Drive’ from ‘Make Yourself’ finished the epic set, arguably their most well-known and loved song.
Words by Monique Hall
Photography by Harry Wassell
