VUKOVI
UNPEOPLE / ARTIO
Alt metal sensations take their next level by storm
O2 FORUM, LONDON
THE QUEUE SNAKES around the corner and down the road before doors, and there’s a sizable crowd ready for openers ARTIO. However, the Leeds pop rock quartet seem rooted to the stage, staying confined to a small area for almost their entire set. It leaves them sounding like the room is swallowing them. Main support UNPEOPLE fare far better, practically swaggering onstage before dropping Waste’s towering opening riff. Not only does the pit kick offimmediately, but by second song Going Numb there are people sailing over the barrier too. They’ve released a grand total of six songs, but already they’ve got an outsized stage presence and confidence, plus the tunes, to fill bigger stages like this with ease. They also slip in an unreleased gem that melds a little post-punk verve to hooks that conjure days in the sun. From the anthemic Overthinking and thunderous Smother to the festival-ready singalong of The Garden, Unpeople deliver a colossal, thrilling set.