Hard rock heavyweights Breaking Benjamin performed to a sold out crowd on their return to the UK in a sweltering auditorium in South London which only added to the passion, intensity and emotion of the night.
Breaking Benjamin @ O2 Academy Brixton
“It was my first time seeing them live, I grew up listening to them at school, around ’05, ’06. It was amazing,” I overheard someone sweating profusely on the Victoria line a little after 11pm. They witnessed Breaking Benjamin’s first London show in nearly a decade. Not a homecoming, seeing as they hail from 3,000 miles away; yet, from the warmth and affection of the sold out Brixton crowd it might as well have been. For a generation this would be their first opportunity to see the band live and for an hour and a half, it was the most joyous cathartic experience you could wish for.
I’m not sure it’s taken me this long to get into the Brixton Academy. 19:15 and walking half a kilometre past the venue to the back of the ever increasing queue. 45 minutes and a couple of thousand steps later, I’m inside to catch the closing 90 seconds of LA grunge revivalists Return to Dust last song. Having released their debut self-titled album two years ago, they’ve received attention from their cover of Outkast’s Hey Ya! with over 2.5 million streams in 3 months on Spotify alone. They head to the Camden Assembly on Saturday for their first headline show in the UK and given their trajectory, they’re sure to be back in bigger venues soon.
Born out of the post-grunge and alternative metal scene in the mid 1990’s, Chevelle have been a staple in the hard rock scene for 30 years. A distinct sound, the tight knit duo of Pete Loeffler (lead vocals/guitar) and Sam Loeffler (drums). They’re sound is raw. Like a lot of American rock and metal bands of the late 90’s; syncopated, drop-tuned visceral tracks that leave a lasting impact.
Opening with An Island from 2014’s La Gargola a few gremlins plagued Kemble Walters, the band’s touring bass player for the last 5 years, but they were still able to put their distinctive grinding force through Face To The Floor. “Let’s see if you know this one shall we” Pete says going into Send The Pain Below, during a run from their double-platinum breakthrough Wonder What’s Next. The near-capacity crowd showing up early and singing passionately the refrain “much like suffocating” which reverberated round the room.
“It’s tough knowing what to do in 40 minutes, folks we’re 10 albums deep. Anyone remember 2002? A lot of you weren’t even born yet. This one’s called The Red. The frontman begins their iconic anthem centre stage on his own. Then, building to the second chorus, brother Sam and bassist Walters return to add climactic finish to the song, a real highlight of the night and cementing Chevelle’s return to the UK as a triumph.
The O2 Academy is a sweatbox. Security are handing out glasses of water at the barrier but the crowd are locked in. The high energy of the night continues in the break as minds were taken off the soaring temperatures with loud singalongs of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff, System Of A Down’s Chop Suey, Slipknot’s Duality as those metal anthems blasted over the PA.
Formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1999, Breaking Benjamin, was founded by lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter Benjamin Burnley. After a four year hiatus and a highly publicized legal dispute that left Burnley as the only remaining founding member, he assembled an entirely new, highly talented lineup, returning with a No. 1 Billboard album in 2015. Whilst they’ve been consistantly active both in touring and studio output in the years since, they last performed in the UK in 2017. So tonight, the last of their short sell out UK run has been highly anticipated and it did not dissapoint.
Beginning with fan favourite I Will Not Bow, a song about resilience and defiance showcasing Burnley’s powerful vocals who was helped out every step of the way by the 5,000 in attendance. The four permanent members of the band are in a line at the front of the stage, all dressed in black; Burnley wearing an addition of a black baseball cap. On closer inspection, there’s someone else stood between Burnley and Aaron Bruch on bass. A smaller person, holding the mic stand also wearing a black baseball cap who the frontman introduces after the first song as his son. Twelve years old and standing front and centre in front of a sold out Brixton Academy is one way to show off to your mates. In fact his son — also named Benjamin — stays on stage all night. Sometimes playing guitar, adding backing vocals. He appears to be a bonafide member of the band and the South London crowd showed him a lot of love throughout the night.
Continuing with Until The End and an extended intro from drummer Brian Medeiros into Evil Angel from their seminal 2006 album Phobia, both songs sung word for word by the excitable crowd. Evil Angel’s high octane driving guitar leads to a triumphant chorus that could give the most stone-faced person goosebumps.
Polyamorous see’s Benjamin junior sings the bridge “Well, How would you know?” unnerved at singing a song twice as old as he is to such a crowded room. “You guys are awesome, he’s smiling so much” Senior said to the crowd of his son, a joyous moment all round. Additional vocals from bassist Bruch produced some vociferous screams on the heavy Crawl as emotions were running high. Catharsis was apparent both on stage and off it, the crowd feeding off the energy from the band and vice versa.
The band leaves the stage, whilst a haunting choral backing track plays, a short respite for band and crowd before leading into the adrenaline pumping groove of Blow Me Away, a song written for the video game Halo 2. Both Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin had songs featured on several video game and film soundtracks as well as WWE Wrestling main event songs so both bands are highly recognisable.
Recent singles Awaken and Something Wicked show that Breaking Benjamin’s formula is still a winning one 25 years into an already impressive career. “A humongous thank you to London and the whole of the UK. We’ve just finished up a full length album.” Those lucky enough to be in attendance hope that this admission means it won’t be too long until they get a chance to see them live again.
They move through their back catalog seamlessly, each intro guitar riff being greeted with an ever increasing roar from the exuberant crowd. It’s hard to pinpoint their biggest cheer or audience reaction, just their sheer presence was worth the entry fee to many. The dark, atmospheric masterpiece of So Cold saw crowdsurfing multiply and pits open. The moody Breath builds tension until the soaring guitars hits a satisfying crescendo in the later choruses, something Breaking Benjamin have done so well throughout their career.
Ending with Dance With The Devil and finally the iconic The Diary Of Jane bought to a close a historic night in the capital. After nearly 10 years without Breaking Benjamin and 14 without Chevelle, tonight allowed a British audience to see the back catalogue from two legendary American hard rock behemoths. The love, respect and genuine emotion that filled that sweaty room in Brixton hopefully conveyed that both should not leave it as long again to return to these shores.
Live review of Breaking Benjamin @ O2 Academy Brixton, London by Chris Lambert on 17th July 2026. Photography by Abigail Shii / @soundofapeach.
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