Live Review: Pvris - Koko, London 09/07/2025

Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their debut album ‘White Noise’, PVRIS treats London to a thrilling two-part show. 

A lot of things can, and have, changed in the last ten years. There have been innumerable political twists and turns, unprecedented technological advancements, popular culture shifts and countless other changes, but tonight, the focus is on PVRIS as they celebrate a decade of their debut album, ‘White Noise’. The New England band sold out London’s KOKO for a two-part show, compromising of a full album playthrough before diving into their recent material, showcasing the sonic evolution of a band who have become comfortable in their own skin and created a unique blend of electronics, alternative, and rock. Whether you prefer their conventional early discography or their grittier recent sound, there is something for everyone tonight within the varied setlist, as the constantly screaming crowd confirms.

To warm up the audience, Juju comes on first and fills the venue with her soaring vocals in a stripped back set. Accompanied only by her guitarist, Abi Crisp, the minimal instrumental backing allows the underlying emotional intensity of Juju’s voice to pierce through. Carrying a mysterious and brooding air around her, Juju focuses our attention and enraptures us with lofty vocals during her short but evocative opening. Teasing some unreleased songs, such as ‘Feels Like Falling’, she exposes herself lyrically and vocally, allowing the crowd to connect and open to her emotional vulnerability. As Juju gracefully commands the stage with poise and confidence, it’s clear that there’s lots of potential in her musical trajectory and leaves us excited to see what she will progress onto.

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Julia Wolf follows on and turns up the heat with her guitarist and drummer, as she dives headfirst into the throttling ‘Loser’. Yelling an energetic “London, how are we doing?” before the pop-laced verses of ‘FYP’, Julia keeps the crowd on their toes as she flitters between speckled electronics and crushing breakdowns. None of this is more evident than in ‘Pearl’, where the full force of pounding drums and distorted riffs are unleashed while Julia’s clean vocals elegantly float above the instrumental chaos, creating the soundtrack to headbanging freely and without inhibitions. Swaying delicately, Julia’s stage presence suggests a sweet, girl-next-door persona that invites you to trust in her, and her beaming smile is infectious as you share in her joy of being there with nothing but her music on your mind. Finishing off with ‘In My Room’, the yearning chorus and melancholic guitars hint at an early 2000s style that layers on the nostalgia of the song, playing on your heartstrings even after Julia leaves the stage and the last note fades away.

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At this point, KOKO transforms into a live backdrop of the ‘White Noise’ album, with antique furniture hanging from the ceiling to mirror that era’s aesthetics. Flecked by strobing lights, the band’s silhouette emerges before the rousing drums of ‘Smoke’ bring you into the electrifying atmosphere. Frontwoman Lynn Gunn is entrancing from start to finish, with her powerful vocals transcending the confines of a record and elevated to new heights in a live context – words can hardly do justice to the way she effortlessly fills every corner of the venue and commands every ounce of your attention with her magnetic aura. 

‘St Patrick’ lightens the mood with danceable beats and pop-tinged electronics, while angsty ‘My House’ allows more grittiness to creep into Lynn’s voice and anchors PVRIS’ edgier roots, but the careful control over every element showcases PVRIS as masters of their craft, both ten years ago and in the present moment. Pausing and taking in the crowd, Lynn muses how crazy it is that ten years has passed and how it has been the soundtrack for new “friends, lovers, ex-lovers” – in her words, “the whole circle of life happens” at a PVRIS show and tonight is proving to be no exception. ‘Fire’ gets the whole venue jumping with its incendiary energy, whether you’re on the ground floor or on the balconies, before ‘Eyelids’ cools the tempo with ethereal electronics tiptoeing around whispery falsetto. The first half finishes with the evergreen hit ‘You and I’ and garners one of the loudest singalongs of the evening, with the final line changed to “London and I” to wrap up the ‘White Noise’ chapter in a kaleidoscopic celebration. 

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After a brief intermission, elevator music lures you into false comfort and gives no indication about the explosive Part Two that’s to come. The first hint drops like a bombshell as the impassioned ‘Burn the Witch’ blazes the trail for a series of heavy-hitters like ‘Snakes’, ‘GOOD ENEMY’, and ‘ANIMAL’. The grungy basslines and searing electronics sharply contrast against the first half, with Lynn’s occasional scream showing a more feral side to the band. Slowing the end of ‘ANIMAL’ to seamlessly flow into ‘Dead Weight’, the confidence with which Lynn struts around the stage is as hypnotising as the swaggering guitar melody that characterises the song’s unbothered attitude. Presenting a softer side with love song ‘OIL & WATER’, warm lights capture the smitten adoration that Lynn sings with, but the tenderness is swiftly shattered by the tense clicking and rapid cymbals that unmistakeably signals the opening of ‘Monster’. Ripping across the stage with primal screams and relentless guitars, it highlights PVRIS’ darker side and demonstrates their versatility as musicians before they flow into a pop-rock duo of ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Hallucinations’. 

Finishing off with the fierce ‘GODDESS’, it’s an evening that has us dancing, headbanging, jumping, and generally letting loose across the band’s catalogue. Beyond the musical feat of traversing across ten years’ worth of material, the evening presents a moment to reflect on the memories created and the emotional connections forged since ‘White Noise’ was released. Seeing fans through joyful moments, friendships, heartbreak, and everything in between, PVRIS proves why their popularity has endured for so long and there’s little to no doubt that we will see them again, bigger and better, before too long.

Words by Athena Kam
Photography by Sam Strutt

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