Sunset Sons Bring Stadium-Sized Energy to O2 Islington

Dave Broome
Sep 26
4 min read

O2 Academy, Islington, London - 24th September 2025

IMAGES DAVE BROOME / WORDS DAVE BROOME

Sunset Sons Bring Stadium-Sized Energy to O2 Islington — Sunset Sons

Sunset Sons are at the O2, Islington tonight for the second night of a mini tour. It consists of a random choice of cities around the UK, Manchester, Southampton, Bristol, London and a festival appearance in Looe, Cornwall at the end of the month. Is the mini tour an indication of some new material? They aren’t what you would call prolific. Three albums in almost ten years, the last being “Too Many Humans, Not Enough Souls” which was released in 2022.

Sunset Sons are a three-piece British-Australian indie band. They found success in 2014 getting airplay on Radio 1 and being rewarded with a spot on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festival. Signing to a major label followed and they were soon on their way releasing EP’s and selling out venues around the UK. Supporting Imagine Dragons as the main support in 2015, receiving “Best Live Act” of 2016 award and surely achieving the pinnacle of any band when they had two tracks, “Remember” and “Medicine” included in the blockbuster console game, Guitar Hero. This feels like the opening paragraph to a story of Coldplay proportions where we find the band about to walk out to perform a headline set at Wembley stadium. However, here we are at the O2 Islington, capacity just shy of 1000. That’s ok, not every band wants to be Coldplay and not every band wants to play Wembley Stadium, but it does feel like things have stalled a little. Nevertheless, that’s no indication of musical quality or live performance and I for one am excited to see what this evening’s show has to offer.

The first support act is Darcey Hope who has a pretty special reason to be here. In 2016 she saw Sunset Sons in concert and reached out to them to get some help as a singer songwriter. She was mentored by the band and fast forward almost 10 years, here she stands as their opening act. Darcey plays a handful of songs that she has written and self-released. Back of My Mind and Maybe I’ll Stay are instantly catchy, and she delivers her whole set in a confident and professional manner. She even gets some audience participation, which is no easy task for a warm-up act.

The second support act is Australian art-folk band Any Young Mechanic. Formerly known as Wake in Fright (after the 1970’s Ted Kotcheff film), they were forced to change their name when the film’s trust denied them a coexistence agreement. That complication confined to history they present a solid and confident set. Lead Singer Sam Wilson could well be this generation’s Woodie Guthrie. They lean heavily on the folk side, which is no bad thing. The songs are charming and have a very high degree of musicality. The band is made up of a drummer, bassist (who plays a double bass), banjo, violinist and singer who plays acoustic guitar. All seem to be extremely competent musicians. The sound is full and not at all whimsical. Think Richard Hawley meets Bob Dylan. “Captain and Compass” is a highlight for me and a really strong song. Maybe the success of the Bob Dylan biopic, A complete Unknown has opened the door for Folk music to a younger demographic.

Having been suitably warmed-up, the crowd are now ready to welcome the main act to the stage. They open with “Medicine”, it has a piercing staccato piano riff which wakes up anyone that had started to slumber in the back of the room. It’s a slow burner that builds to an anthemic chorus. The room is suddenly alive and we’re off to a strong start. “Bring the Bright Lights” is next, which is an older track from their 2016 release “Very Rarely Say Die”. Their sound is weighty enough to carry a punch without being too heavy. It’s my first gig at the O2 Islington and the sound is great, its loud but every instrument is distinct and cuts through all of the background noise. There’s a couple who have flown in from Poland for the gig at the front of the crowd. I take a quick look at them to gauge how things are going. I get a thumbs up and a pair of broad smiles.

For “Lost Company”, Darcey Hope makes a reappearance on backing vocals, what a moment this must be for her. In the style of many of their songs, the set is building throughout the evening and feels like we’re heading to a big crescendo. “Hero to Me” is strong and dedicated to a close friend. “I Can’t Wait” is touching as Rory Williams sings it alone at the piano. “Superman” has a touch of the U2’s about it with the single note guitar riffs accompanying both the verse and the chorus and the sound fills this mid-size venue beautifully. “On The Road” closes out the night and the band thank the crowd for their continued support. Remember it’s been three years since they last toured so this was a big deal for everyone. Job well done I’d say and all involved will be going home satisfied and hoping for more of the same sooner than later.