DEATH PILL
THE LEXINGTON, LONDON
Most bands celebrate the end of a tour. For these Ukrainian punks, the euphoria came right before it began. Singer/ guitarist Mariana Navrotskaya, bassist Natalya Seryakova and drummer Anastasiya Khomenko were separated by the Russian invasion of their country (Mariana remained in Kyiv while Natalya fled to Australia and Anastasiya to Spain); despite releasing their self-titled debut album in February this year, they didn’t reunite until this spring to play live. There’s an air of solemnity around tonight, since this show concludes Death Pill’s European run, with the members due to go their separate ways again. Technical troubles threaten to dampen the mood even further. The band are delayed half an hour, then the drums break, and the smoke machine basically blinds them. However, a rapt crowd and some emotionally plentiful songs carry the three-piece through this bittersweet evening. They play a flurry of chords and snarls, with Would You Marry Me serving as a love letter to Mariana’s husband, and Miss Revolt unleashes an empowered, attention-demanding feminist cry. With the band frequently making evocative speeches about reuniting and the state of their country, tonight runs a rich emotional gamut in as little as 45 minutes.