Live Review: PRESIDENT band’s final night of tour hints at a promising future | Music | Entertainment

It’s been a triumphant year for the masked band PRESIDENT. For a band who seemingly came from nowhere, they have done remarkably well. Following the release of their debut single ‘In the Name of the Father’ last May, the band played their first show to a packed-out tent at Download Festival, and have since taken on global support slots for Architects and Bad Omens. Returning to the UK earlier this month, the band have just completed their first-ever headline UK tour with a sold-out run of shows ending at the O2 Kentish Town Forum (April 21).

Over the past year the band, whose identities still remain hidden, has steadily been gaining momentum, gathering a mass of followers, or ‘citizens’ as they’re known, along the way. Last July, the rockers played their ‘inaugural rally’ at The Garage in London – a venue four times smaller – but nine months on, for the final night of The Campaign Trail the increase in their following can’t go unnoticed.

You’d be forgiven for forgetting that this weeks’ tube strikes have made it hard to get across the city. Inside the venue, the floor is packed with fans wearing PRESIDENT merch, excitedly anticipating what’s next. With a catalogue of only eight songs, including their six-track EP Kings of Terrors released in late September, and two new singles, it was bound to be a short set. But for those who made the journey despite the strikes, and for the guy sitting next to me who ‘paid a premium’ for a resale ticket, it doesn’t really matter. In his words: “When you listen to some music, you just get a feeling.” And he’s not wrong.

As the show begins, the four-piece slowly and confidently make their way on stage. There’s no rushing on their part, and there’s no need to rally the crowd, who are already excitedly screaming in anticipation. The enigmatic front man (‘The Artist’), takes his rightful place behind the lectern before they launch into the heavy opener ‘Fearless’.

The ‘cloak of anonymity and minimalism’ underlying the band’s ethos only adds to the show. Everything is done with purpose and (thankfully) there’s no chatting or filling time. Even the stage setting is simplistic – not that this is unusual for a band still in their infancy. There’s the now-familiar emblem of a twisted crucifix on the curtained backdrop, as well as the lectern at the centre of the stage. Meanwhile, unassuming black and white checkered flags stand on either side of the drummer. It puts the focus exactly where the band wants it: on the music.

‘Fearless’ is followed by slow-building ‘Dionysus’ with the ending scream from the The Artist drawing a high-pitched squeal of enthusiasm from someone sitting on the balcony, and a nod from impressed fans around me. The crowd are well and truly into it, and it seems by ‘RAGE’ the band are too. ‘The Artist’ loosens slightly, sauntering across the stage in what can only be described as a little dance.

The cover of Deftones’ ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’ slots seamlessly into the set, and then, for one of the few orchestrated moments of the night, the drummer stands up to signal the crowd to get their phone lights out for the main set’s closing song ‘Conclave’.

Tonight, for most people in the room, it’ll be the first time hearing any of the band’s tracks live. However, it’s the newer tracks that steal the evening. Critics of the band who might be quick to describe them as a ‘gimmick’ or who thought their first EP was a stroke of luck surely eat their words, as ‘Angel Wings’ is a testament to PRESIDENT’s staying power. The track is the band’s first release with Atlantic Records, and is almost anthematic as the crowd gets swept up in the chorus. And there’s a different emotional weight to it that comes from The Artist’s vocals, as well.

Then comes the encore, and with it, the clearest indication of where the band are heading. The opening chord of ‘Mercy’ (barely a month old) triggers an immediate scream from the crowd. Once again, the performance feels more raw and passionate than its predecessors; for a brief moment, The Artist appears overwhelmed beneath his rubber mask.

He drops to the floor in a way that feels genuinely unguarded. Whether this display is part of the act or something more, it’s impossible to tell, but at the end of such a big year, it wouldn’t be surprising. Perhaps that’s why, during ‘Destroy Me’, the microphone is extended out to the crowd, and gestures become more direct and obvious; the guard has dropped further.

The evening closes, as expected, with ‘In the Name of the Father’. Now, enjoying every moment, The Artist stands on a step looking out to the crowd and, silent, slowly gestures with his arms to open a pit. As a circle opens up for the final breakdown of the track, he stands, hands clasped behind his back, and watches his work. Everything he has built at his feet.

He blows a kiss to the crowd and takes a bow, and after a brief pause, the set ends just as it began; the band slowly make their way off stage, basking in what they have accomplished. But while it was short, nothing was missing.

The last year feels like a deliberate and meticulous plan to build the foundation into something bigger. Such as with everything in life: there are no guarantees in the music industry, but one only has to see PRESIDENT perform live to understand that they are going nowhere but up. With a packed festival schedule this summer, it’s only a matter of time before we find out where their Campaign Trail leads us next.