Words and Photos by: Lucy Heffer
On a beautiful summer’s day in London—made all the more adventurous by underground strikes—I headed to this gig with one clear hope: to hear The Dead Collective perform Home Sweet Home.
Did my dream come true? Read on to find out.
The opening act proved to be the storm before the calm. Launching proceedings with a blaring siren, the twin guitar onslaught of Glasgow trio Anchor Lane kicked off a high-energy set. They opened with their latest release Five Knuckle Shuffle, before powering straight into Six Foot, Six Pack, and Sigma.
There’s then time for drummer Graeme Newbury to adjust a cymbal—unsurprising given the ferocity he’s unleashing—while frontman Conor Gaffney chats to the crowd, initially claiming it’s been three years since their last London show, before quickly correcting himself: four.
“We are Anchor Lane from Glasgow—this song is Nitroglycerine!”
What follows is as chaotic as it is compelling, Gaffney spends much of the track kicking the setlist around the stage, at times nearly skating across it. The crowd responds in kind, with plenty of whoops and cheers echoing back from the floor.
“We’re a long way south now, so forgive me if my accent’s too strong—it’s the adrenaline!” Gaffney jokes, before recounting a travel mishap involving a broken-down van, an unexpected electric replacement, charging delays, and a late-night hotel scramble. Naturally, this leads into a merch plug—something of a staple for emerging bands—with the audience encouraged to help recoup £150 in unexpected costs. Hopefully, they did just that.
The set continues with Strutter, as Gaffney introduces his bandmates with pride. The stage setup—likely shaped by the headliner’s production—places Newbury’s drum kit unusually far to one side, giving the audience a rare and welcome full view of the drummer in action.
Dressed in a Virginmarys T-shirt and what looked like a Black Feather Jewellery necklace (Oli Brown’s jewellery company), Gaffney punctuates the performance with squat jumps and high kicks, before easing the pace with Bitter, a track he explains was added to the set specifically for fans of The Dead Collective.
Fellow guitarist Connor Traill, making his first-ever visit to London, shows no signs of nerves. Introduced as “a young boy from the Highlands,” he looks completely at ease—arguably right at home—on the capital’s stage.
It won’t be long before Anchor Lane are back down south, with an appearance lined up on the Emerging Rock Bands stage at Maid of Stone on Sunday 19th July. If this performance is anything to go by, that set promises to be something special—bigger stage, bigger energy, and a deservedly bigger audience for the band.
The fans that battled the aforementioned underground strike gathered in impressive numbers for the headliners The Dead Collective. Formerly known as Oli Brown & The Dead Collective, the 2025 name change reflects the now-permanent lineup, with Sam Wood on guitar and Wayne Proctor on drums firmly embedded alongside Oli Brown.
As the band took to the stage, their striking LED lighting set up that has become synonymous with The Dead Collective, lit up the stage. It may be the bane of photographers (and perhaps not ideal for those sensitive to flashing lights), but it feels somewhat like a fourth band member.
Under the dazzle of the LEDs, the opening track was Sinking Ship, heading straight into Heard It All Before. The latter bathed the stage in red and cyan hues, evoking memories of old anaglyph 3D cinema—watching without the glasses, colours slightly askew. It’s an oddly fitting comparison, because experiencing this band live is cinematic in every sense: immersive, intense, and far more deserving of recognition than they currently receive.
Tracks Goliath (from the new EP) and Father followed, before a wash of blue lights filled the stage for Everything You Want. Oli briefly pauses to address the crowd, admitting that he is not one for talking, and would rather just keep playing, but he does take a moment to give a shout-out to the opening act Anchor Lane.
Both are trios, both feature two guitarists and a drummer, yet they contrast in so many ways and complement in others, it really was a well-matched bill.
Haunted follows, and an absolute crowd favourite, but for me the moment I had been waiting for – Home Sweet Home – came next. The guitar solos, the melodies, and the climax…I was too lost in the music at this point to observe much, but I knew I would be returning home happy. Throughout the show, the chemistry between Oli and Sam was electric, surpassed only by the combined talent of the three members of the band.
Oli took another break to thank the audience for making the effort to come to the event despite the underground strikes, and whilst I have mentioned it a couple of times, the location of the venue meant for many people that I spoke to, they had gone to great lengths to ensure that they could attend, and the appreciation from the band was warmly received.
Another high point in the show for me was the phenomenal guitar solo from Oli in Your Love, and then my focus turned to anticipation to hear the latest release Cracks. As someone who appreciates a well placed unapologetic expletive, I was keen to hear the uncensored version live.
It did not disappoint.
The track was powerful. I was stood at the back of the venue to fully appreciate the magnificence and I was momentarily transported to a stadium filled with Muse fans, (not that I am one or have ever experienced it, it’s just how I imagined it would be).
As a first taste of the upcoming EP, alongside Goliath and the set closer Falling, it makes me so excited about what’s in store, especially because after the EP there will also be a debut album later in the year.
There are plenty more gigs on this tour so I implore you to grab a ticket. This band is mesmerising, expansive and intimate. How they do that, I do not know, but it is a magical combination.
