Pendulum at Brixton Academy - Two Decades On, Still Dropping Bass Like Bombs

Alan Bryce
3 hours ago
2 min read

Brixton Academy – 6th November 2025

WORDS / IMAGES ALAN BRYCE

Pendulum at Brixton Academy: Two Decades On, Still Dropping Bass Like Bombs — Alan Bryce Photo Credit

Two decades in, Pendulum are still absolute chaos merchants — and Brixton just got flattened. The Perth-born trio turned London’s O2 Academy Brixton into a 5,000-cap rave-meets-riot as their Inertia tour crashed into town, proving they’ve lost none of the bite that made them genre-smashers in the first place.

Pendulum’s story is legend by now. Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen and Paul Harding started out in 2002 fusing drum and bass with rock and metal, rewriting the electronic rulebook in the process. From the breakout insanity of Hold Your Colour to the crossover brilliance of In Silico and Immersion, they’ve spent years making the impossible sound inevitable. After a decade of evolution — The Reworks (2018), Elemental (2021), Anima (2023) — Inertia lands like a fist through a subwoofer: heavier, darker, louder.

Before the carnage, ALT BLK ERA tore through their opening set like they owned the place. Their mash of Afro-punk, nu-metal and glitchy electronics felt fierce and theatrical, with “ARMAGEDDON (ALT Edition)” and “Run Rabbit” setting the room ablaze.

At 9:05 p.m., Pendulum arrived — and Brixton detonated. “Napalm” kicked things off with blistering intent, followed by a set that balanced nostalgia and new fire. “Propane Nightmares” got the crowd screaming from the first riff; “Blood Sugar / Voodoo People (Remix)” sent the diehards wild; and fresh cuts like “Cannibal” and “Nothing for Free” proved the new era hits just as hard. When “The Island (Pt. I & II)” dropped, the floor was bouncing like it might cave in.

Visually, it was sensory overload: lasers slicing through fog, strobes hitting every beat, screens flipping between dystopia and hyperspace. Swire’s vocals were razor-sharp, McGrillen’s basslines shook the walls, and KJ Sawka’s live drumming gave everything an unstoppable human pulse.

The energy was pure mania — mosh pits colliding with dancefloors, arms in the air, strangers howling lyrics in perfect unison. When “Watercolour” hit, it wasn’t just a drop; it was catharsis.

By the end, “Cartagena” and “Tarantula” finished the job, leaving Brixton in ruins — the good kind. Pendulum aren’t just back; they’re on fire. Inertia feels like a rebirth, and tonight proved why they’re still one of the most electrifying live acts on the planet.