Live Review: Dope Lemon - O2 Kentish Town Forum, London 05/09/2025
Dope Lemon delights with his woozy blues at the Kentish Town Forum.
Bringing their huge charisma to the Kentish Town Forum full to the brim on a thriving Friday night, the sultry vocals of support act duo Piri and Tommy make a mesmerising force on stage. Evocative lyrics such as from their most recent release 99% get the crowd moving, singing along to the refrain ‚no I never wanna go home‘. A real summer banger that suits the mood perfectly on this sultry early September evening.
Entering with formidable swagger, DOPE LEMON oozes bluesy cool, his desert rock driven dirgey sound has his sold out crowd in almost hypnotised state. Set opener ‘Stonecutters’ from his album ‘Honey Bones’ with its jangly guitar and eery vocals conjures a hazy, hallucinatory soundscape that feels like a trippy desert dream that very much sets the vibe for the show from the off. The music is enhanced by the colourful psychedelic visuals projected at the back of the stage, the kaleidoscopic swirling optics moving in time to the beat to great effect.
The opening track ‘John Belushi’ from his latest album ‘Golden Wolf’ is somehow strangely uplifting despite its tragic subject of the death of the doomed actor with its anthemic guitar and bittersweet lyric ‘I’m the undertaker’s favourite song to dance to’. Next song ‘Marinade’ from his 2016 hit album ‘Honey Bones’ has an enthralling stream of consciousness style lyrical delivery and sees a slower change in tempo. The song is both beautiful and haunting with its tale: ‘She wanted to die by a river, She wanted the tide to come up and drag her away, So that when she’s dreamin’, She can watch the tree line fall away’ which is sung with a woozy charm.
An extensive tour marking the release of fifth album ‘Golden Wolf’ which was released in May, this tour has taken in major venues including the Dublin Stadium and relatively more intimate venues such as the Forum tonight, highlighting DOPE LEMON’s versatility in commanding a venue. Showing his impressive rise, in the run up to the release, DOPE LEMON (real name Angus Stone) has performed the hit single ‘Big Jet Plane’ with Dua Lipa, as well as amassing some 3.6 million plus monthly listeners on Spotify. His new album shows a candid openness that he also displays in his heartfelt live performance. As described in the album’s press release: ‘This new chapter reveals Stone at his most open yet – peeling back layers of silky sheened memories, imagination and thought -provoking insights.’
At the halfway point, ‘Golden Wolf’ is an optimistic song which shows a romantic side to Stone, and a more dance driven direction, as well as the effortless groove of ‘Electric Green Lambo’ which has a distinctive toe tapping quality with its funk tinged bassline. ‘Rose Pink Cadillac’ is a set highlight, its lustful lyrics clearly resonating with the crowd, sounding even smoother on the live stage than it does on record. In an interview before the album’s release in May earlier this year, Stone describes his philosophical approach to ‘Golden Wolf’: “I dove into talking about our finality and what it means when we get to the end of whatever this is. I started to play with the concept of the spirit animal being the Golden Wolf taking me through to the other side”. This transcendental quality is exactly what makes him such a spectacular live performer: his abundant charisma, lyrical poetry and vibrant visuals on stage all entwining to take on a higher path that you simply don’t want to come down from.
Words by Brendan Sharp
Photography by Abigail Shii
