A DANISH THUNDERSTORM AND A LONDON RESURRECTION: VOLBEAT & BUSH IGNITE WEMBLEY
- Alan Bryce
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
OVO Arena, Wembley – 13th November 2025
WORDS / IMAGES ALAN BRYCE
Volbeat closed out their Greatest of All Tours run with a thunderous Wembley finale, but before the Danish heavyweights took over, Bush turned the OVO Arena into a homecoming party three decades in the making. For a band that has weathered trends, breakouts, breakdowns, and reinventions, this London date felt like a full-circle moment—and the crowd knew it.
The atmosphere was electric long before the lights dropped. Wembley was heaving with fans of all ages, buzzing for a set that promised both nostalgia and new fire. Bush delivered exactly that. Gavin Rossdale looked completely at ease on home turf, switching between snarling intensity and open-hearted vulnerability. Chris Traynor’s guitar lines cut through the arena with grit and purpose, giving the set a modern edge without losing the band’s unmistakable core.
They tore into “Everything Zen” to kick things off, igniting the room instantly. New tracks from I Beat Loneliness, including “The Land of Milk and Honey” and the title track, landed with surprising force—proof Bush aren’t just cycling their past; they’re still pushing forward. The production was slick, the lighting shifting with every emotional beat. Rossdale’s baritone sounded huge, resonant, unmistakably his. “Swallowed” turned the arena into a single roaring choir—a scene that could melt even the most cynical gig-goer.
This wasn’t just a warm-up set; it was Bush reminding London—and themselves—why they mattered in the first place. Formed here in ‘92, now touring behind what many consider their most confessional album, the band’s resilience hit harder than ever. Rossdale’s mental-health-driven themes threaded through the night, giving the performance a sense of both catharsis and quiet victory.
Bush remain a band built on perseverance. From the post-grunge boom to the shifting sands of the 2000s, they’ve adapted without losing shape. Tonight, they felt vital—still evolving, still connecting, still capable of flooring a crowd of thousands. A perfect setup for what came next.
Setlist – Bush
Everything Zen
Bullet Holes
The Land of Milk and Honey
Come Together (Beatles cover)
Identity
I Am Here to Save Your Life
More Than Machines
Swallowed
I Beat Loneliness
Flowers on a Grave
With London marking the final stop of the 71-date Greatest of All Tours Worldwide, Volbeat arrived ready to make a point—and they made it loudly. Their ninth album, God of Angels Trust, has pushed them into bold new territory, and this tour has been a victory lap of pure swagger.
Wembley was packed to the rafters—an ocean of black t-shirts and raised horns. Witch Fever and Bush primed the room with explosive sets, but when Volbeat hit the stage, the energy went volcanic. The opening riff of “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” was a detonation, ricocheting off the arena walls as Michael Poulsen stormed into the spotlight, sounding revitalised and razor-sharp.
The setlist was a perfectly engineered blend of old-school bangers (“Lola Montez”, “Sad Man’s Tongue”, “Still Counting”) and new-era chaos from God of Angels Trust. Tracks like “By a Monster’s Hand,” “Demonic Depression,” and the gloriously unhinged “In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom” proved Volbeat are still gleefully refusing to play it safe.
“Shotgun Blues” and “Seal the Deal” sent mosh pits swirling, while the encore—“A Warrior’s Call” crashing straight into “Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza”—felt like the roof might actually lift off. The visuals were just as intense: blood-red strobes for the heavy moments, cool blues for the breathers, with surreal projections tying everything back to the new record’s darker themes.
What stood out most, though, was the crowd. 12,500 voices, fists in the air, embracing every era of the band with the same ferocity. After Poulsen’s throat-surgery hiatus, this felt like a rebirth—Volbeat pushing themselves harder, louder, and stranger than before.
This wasn’t just the end of a tour. It was a statement. Volbeat are still one of the most entertaining, ambitious, and unapologetically bombastic live bands on the planet.
Setlist – Volbeat
The Devil’s Bleeding Crown
Lola Montez
Sad Man’s Tongue
Demonic Depression
Fallen
Shotgun Blues
In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom
By a Monster’s Hand
Heaven nor Hell
The Devil Rages On
Die to Live
Acid Rain
Seal the Deal
The Garden’s Tale
For Evigt
Still Counting
Children of the Grave
A Warrior’s Call / Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza
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