LAKE MALICE ARE standing in the stairwell of Camden’s Black Heart, about to play their first ever, sold-out, UK headline show. And, despite supporting the likes of Skindred, Vended and Enter Shikari in the past, they’re nervous.
“It feels weird to play our own show,” vocalist Alice Guala admits. “These people are here for us? That’s fucking nuts!”
Alice and kindred spirit/ guitarist Blake Cornwall formed Lake Malice in 2021, the pair bonding online over a love of metalcore as well as alternative pop artists such as Ashnikko and Charli XCX. Those influences show up in their songs, which mix glitchy electronics, virulent screams and towering melodies, their lyrics drawing on a combination of Alice’s life experiences and the art that inspires her – be it the scathing Bloodbath addressing toxic relationships, or Mitsuko, whose revenge fantasy video takes visual cues from Stranger Things.
“There’s a metal influence that’ll always be there because it’s our background,” Blake explains. “But we find ourselves listening less to traditional metal bands and more to bands that just sound heavy. There’s more freedom to experiment.”