Mushroomhead – O2 Academy Islington, London – 11th August 2026

Mushroomhead – O2 Academy Islington, London – 11 August 2026

Review by Robert Corich

Mushroomhead are one of those bands I’ve heard about, and heard plenty about, over the years without ever quite getting around to seeing them. How that happened I’m not entirely sure—because having finally caught them at London’s O2 Academy Islington, it’s clear they are a spectacle worth both seeing and hearing.

Opening with the SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song was probably our first warning that normal service wasn’t going to be available tonight. Then came Eye to Eye and A Requiem for Tomorrow, and the evening was well and truly underway.

Visually, this reminded me of Gwar mixed with Fields of the Nephilim. Musically they’re poles apart, of course, but somehow the comparison works. Gwar’s grotesque theatricality, the Nephilim’s dark, imposing presence and Mushroomhead’s industrial-metal lunacy make for one hell of a visual cocktail.

And then there were the water drummers.

Quite what possessed someone to put large quantities of water around electrical equipment at a metal gig is anybody’s guess. It looked completely bonkers—and brilliant. Watching the percussionists pound away at their aquatic contraptions added another layer of controlled chaos to an already unhinged performance. How nobody got electrocuted remains one of the night’s great mysteries.

The female vocalist was another revelation. Epic vocally, with a stage presence to match—and, let’s be honest, rather easy on the eye too.

Jacqueline LaPonza or Ms Jackie as she is known by added real power and melody to the band’s punishing attack and was one of the highlights of the night.

Musically, the set was every bit as ferocious as expected. Fall in Line, Our Apologies, Qwerty and Sun Doesn’t Rise kept the pressure on before Solitaire/Unraveling, The Heresy and Madness Within demonstrated just how tight and effective Mushroomhead can be. Seen It All and Prepackaged maintained the momentum before When Doves Cry / Among the Crows and 12 Hundred set up a suitably demented finale of Born of Desire / War Pigs.

Beneath all the masks, costumes, water and theatrical madness is a very good, very tight metal band. The spectacle gets your attention; the music keeps it.

Bizarre? Absolutely.
Heavy? Bloody hell, yes.
Water drummers? Bonkers.
Female vocalist? Epic.

After all these years of somehow missing Mushroomhead, I’m rather glad I finally caught up with them. Some bands are worth hearing. Some are worth seeing.

Mushroomhead are definitely worth doing both.

And after all that frenzied playing, water-bashing, pounding percussion and sheer volume, there’s a fair chance you’ll leave the venue feeling like you’ve actually got a head full of mushrooms.

Which, when you think about it, is probably exactly the point.