Live Review: Jinjer - O2 Kentish Town, London 31/01/2026
Jinjer elevates the likes of Unprocessed and Textures to newfound heights whilst tearing up 02 Forum Kentish Town with a statement piece: you want a hardcore show? You’ve got one.
Textures are a band that’s been away a while. The progressive Dutch metalcore outfit were first formed in 2001, but broke up pre-covid after their fifth album release of Phenotype. It was meant to be a double album; but Genotype only got released in 2026 – after the band’s reformation and grand return. Led by Stef Brooks on Drums, and returning Daniel de Jongh on lead vocals, it’s like the band never went away – able to capture the fire of a new act with the legacy of an old one. Plenty are here to see them early and it’s what they deserved; the adoration of the fans are across the board spectacular and almost all of the Jinjer crowd have turned up to see them early – not bad for first support. It’s packed in the belly of the beast; aka the front pit of 02 Forum Kentish Town, very early on. Closer to the Unknown goes down a storm; the four minute belter of a song is easily my favourite of the night. It’s a packed evening for gigs so to draw away from the long-awaited return of Marmozets is an accomplishment in its own right – and Textures more than elevate the price of admission. By Laments of an Icarus we have a pit and it’s a grand statement piece of a return – Jongh captivates the crowd and has them singing along and dancing on his thumb. It’s good to have these guys back – hopefully the wait before they release new material isn’t as long as the last time around. Genotype is a belter and we’re well overdue a return.
Arctangent festival is the tastemaker festival for new metal acts looking to make a statement in the UK and having seen them there it’s no wonder Unprocessed have already been elevated
To second support at Kentish Town Forum - you’d be forgiven for thinking that they’re a new act on a debut album but Angel – released last year to much critical acclaim; is their sixth. They are magnetic and many fans are there just as much to see them as they are Jinjer, with plenty only here to see Unprocessed. That’s the sign of a pull – the prog metal act has emerged from the same festival that gave us Callous Daoboys and match their number in unique style and atmosphere. Hell, Angel is one of my very favourite albums of 2025 – and the chance to see them live was something I was never going to turn down. Usually Unprocessed must encourage the crowd-surfers but that was not the case today – they are started from the word go, the German outfit fully in adoration of their fans. And make no mistake – they are *their* fans as much as Jinjer’s. Sleeping with Ghosts kicks us off and it’s a firecracker – a barnstormer of a set that automatically induces hell on Earth five times over. Bassist Valentin Noack is triumphant in his ability to command the crowd; and their album does a lot of things in a way that pulls you in and just finds a reason to keep you there. Vocalist Manuel Gardbner Fernandes feels like he’s ready for the big time already and Kentish Town is much a playground as a small tent in a field in Somerset. #
He is able to engage the crowd and transform Angel to its live form impeccably – it looks just as a match as it does on the record but with more of a fire and fury than most other bands with five or six records under their belt. People wave their phone lights up in the air and have a song and dance, before the real carnage of the mosh begins – a metal staple of the genre that holds nothing back. We’re in a very good place now – and then it’s time for Jinjer, our headliners, and the place is packed to the brim. Which is impressive – because in addition to Marmozets, there’s also Jason Derulo and Rain City Drive playing on the same night. The Ukrainian outfit are here to stay and emerge with the triumphant fire of an experienced touring band who know how to keep the crowd entertained like the back of their hands.
Jinjer’s video wall is suitably impressive and has tons of graphics; there be plenty of snakes on the wall (especially for Green Serpent, the follow-up from titular track Duel) and you get the band touring their latest album, Duel, and you admire their confidence for making so much of this set about their latest work. It’s a testament for the bravado of Tatiana Tati Shmayluk; who promises a showcase for her terrific vocal range – mixing up with the brutality that she is able to promise a hardcore show and deliver; the pits are appropriately intense, brutal and crowd-surfers encourage a warm-down warning from security – but the fans are here to stay and so are Jinjer. Tati questions the audience as to whether they like hardcore and then delivers; thrusting into Fast Draw, a carefully choreographed set that leaves nothing left on the table. There are plenty of breaks for the band (and the audience) to catch their breath – we run through Vortex, Disclosure! And Tantrum in quick succession and they have the time to pull from the back catalogue – fans of King of Everything are served the best outside of the new stuff, with three tracks from the 2016 release: I Speak Astronomy gets a roll-out for the band to showcase their influences being as wide as Pink Floyd, as does Pisces.
Just when you think they’re done, they’re back for the screaming vocal guttural roar of Sit Stay Roll Over. It’s a triumphant hit of a centrepiece form King of Everything, the sixteen song set kept the same across much of their current tour but it allows the band to finely tune their performance to perfection. It’s catered to fans – and the fans are more than ready to bake in adoration of the band. For Jinjer it’s a special night: the first UK headline shows since the unlawful invasion of their homeland by Russia and the pandemic. They weren’t that well-known back then, pre-COVID. But now, they’re on everyone’s lips – eight tracks of Duel showcase the confidence that the band has in their lyrics and the heavier, hardcore side of metalcore pushes the boundaries of the genre for a wide collaboration with multiple offerings. The band show an abrasive, harsh feel to their work that can put many people off – but what we got is a rewarding show that will win them plenty of fans and keep their loyal following.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
