The history of I See Stars as a band is interesting. Starting their band as childhood friends at 11 years old, the boys in Warren, Michigan, have become electronicore genre-defining legends alongside Attack Attack! or Breathe Carolina in just a few years is This cannot be taken away from them after years of performing. And even though I See Stars reached heights in their genre, including a performance at Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2011, there was a period when the band went on a hiatus, and we could suspect that highly successful young adults will wrap up the business… Especially that the band’s vocalist, Devin Oliver, started his solo career under a moniker, shYbeast, around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Time has passed, and I See Stars returned to releasing new music. Despite their iconic sound that made them incredibly distinguishable in the scene, they decided to slightly shift their music into more rock genre – and hearing their new songs released in last two years is still exciting and making it attractive enough to listen to live on a Wednesday evening in one of the most iconic independent metal venues in London – The Underworld.
The unexpected and great support
Ahead of I See Stars’ appearance, Mancunian trio THE HARA took the stage to warm up fans gathered in the venue. The British trio is known for their TikTok activity, various large profile festival performances in the UK, as well as supporting many prolific bands in the metal scene, such as Sum41, Ice Nine Kills and Escape the Fate. Having such a broad portfolio of performances, the expectation of their set was high. And they did not disappoint. The 9-song set was mixed with differently paced songs – from energetic ones like recently released “Trophy” or “Fire” to calmer ones like “Stay” that moved fans emotionally. Their high energy continued through the rest of the set… and during “Animals”, Zack (guitar) popped a bloody panda mask and the band went properly bananas. The Hara is living up to their online hype, and their set made it super enjoyable and joyous to watch. They are one of the most interesting bands currently in the British rock scene.
I See Stars is truly powerful.
When the time came for the main star of the evening, despite unbearable heat conditions in the venue, the fans gathered in The Underworld burst into pure excitement to see the first ever headline gig of I See Stars in London. Starting with one of the most well-known tracks of Treehouse – “Running with Scissors”, The Oliver brothers & co made it very clear it will be a powerful set. They took no time to continue their dynamic performance with various music from more recent releases, such as Drift single from 2023, Break and Ten Thousand Feet from Treehouse, and self-titled New Demons to finally Are We 3ven and D4MAGE DONE from their newest EP. But the real treat of the evening was a live performance of one of the most iconic songs from their best record so far – Filth Friends Unite from the 2012 long-play digital_renegade. For the long-term fans who knew the band before their new sound, it was a genuine surprise and pleasure to hear one of the biggest hits of I See Stars. When the nostalgia hit, Devin took a minute to express how much it means to the band members to be able to be together and play their songs to fans since they were young, and it is first for pure enjoyment and then later for monetary purposes in life.
The rest of the set continued in the dark lighting and consisted of another mix of various tracks from New Demons, Treehouse and Split EP. The performance was so on point instrumentally and vocally by all members that not long before, Devin announced the last song – “Anomaly” – that recently became one of the most recognisable songs by I See Stars in recent years. The anthemic feel of this song, with the crowd chanting lyrics, was amazing.
In a nutshell, it’s hard to believe that was the very first headline show of I See Stars in London in such long history of the band. While being hugely successful in their native country, it’s hard to think they never played as headliners in London before. It almost felt like The Underworld is a way too small venue for them, despite being sold out last minute. This band should be able to sell bigger rooms with the prowess they showed for fans in London. The level of their performance is top-notch, and it should be noticed by bigger audiences in the UK. Especially hearing Devin and Andrew sync up perfectly between higher and lower ranges of their voices made it feel like a well-oiled tank machine. We can only hope that was the very last performance of I See Stars in the small-cap venue – they deserve bigger crowds with amazing production moving forward. Hopefully, we will get it soon with the upcoming releases and another tour cycle.