On a glorious summer evening in South London, for a third consecutive sold out night, Mac DeMarco brought his unrivaled laid back slacker rock to the London’s O2 Academy Brixton.
Mac DeMarco is an indie music legend. His sound instantly recognisable; a groovy bassline, tight drums and a vibrato or jangly guitar melody, sometimes in an intriguing tuning. From fast-paced colourful hooks to introspective acoustic sketches. Following the release of 2012’s extended play Rock And Roll Night Club, he’s released seven studio albums. Every record self-produced, little radio play. Since 2019, he’s released his music on his own record label quite straightforwardly named Mac’s Record Label. Yet his organic success in the early 2010’s has bought him such a loyal fanbase that he can sell out three consecutive nights at O2 Academy Brixton.
MacDeMarco @ O2 Academy Brixton
Beginning with Shining, the opener from his latest album Guitar, that he recorded entirely by himself at his home in Los Angeles. A beautiful love song about the love of his life being better off without him whilst Sweeter another delicate ballad about promising to change to an ex that he can change, that next time things will be much better. Sandwiched between these new songs is the first big singalong of the night, 2017’s synth laden For The First Time. There is a dichotomy of Mac DeMarco; the quirky, silly, easy-going extrovert. The most non-serious artist who can write the most achingly brilliant songs about love and loss. Whilst then may go out of the public eye for months at a time, going on long road trips and camping, keeping himself to himself yet being the life of the party when he needs to be. Or at least playing up to that persona.
There are some technical issues plaguing his acoustic guitar so for the first half of the show, he is the singing frontman, but for Salad Days, he picks up his electric and takes us on a trip back to 2012. Ode To Viceroy, another charming, highly melodic song from over a decade ago fits in perfectly to this set that has a light and dark feel; rather than grouping segments, songs are interspersed. You are pulled back from the brighter rhythmic electric bangers and lifted up after a slower acoustic number. This itself gives the set a multi-dimensional feel, like the tactile nature of Mac DeMarco’s songs you can almost hear textures through the tightness of the drums, the groove of the bass, the vibrato of the guitar.
On The Level; sampled by Anderson .Paak in 2019, sees him wave the mic like a magic wand as he continues to squat, lunge and let the music involuntarily move his body. Mac sporting a green shirt and blue cap stands out from the no-frills staging; No screens, no backdrop. His bandmates spreadout behind him. Phillippe Melanson on drums, counting in every song and seems in control, organising the group who follow his lead. Guitarist Pedro Martins delivers a tremendous solo to end Rock and Roll from last year’s record. Even when the Edmonton singer introduces Pedro before the crunching solo, it’s hard to not keep your eyes of DeMarco who’s sillyness intensifies as he drops to the floor dry humping the ground.
Otto Benson from Brooklyn, New York began the night, someone who has clearly been influenced by DeMarco’s sound. Playing several songs from his fourth album Peanut from 2025 including Red And Neon, Raisin and Drive Away. Benson in the middle sat, slowly strumming his guitar. Bassist to right and slide guitarist to the left. Beautifully crafted songs, leaving the ever growing Brixton crowd as quiet as I’ve seen to hear those delicate melodies. Mac thanks Benson for his opening slot. He says that he loves him, loves his music, loves his team and that his parents are here tonight which gains a great ovation.
20200817 Proud True Toyota and 20191009 I Like Her the 199-track surprise album One Wayne G. No, that’s not a typo. DeMarco released this nine hour anthology of unfinished ideas, mostly instrumentals recorded between 2018-2023. Each song’s name begins by the date of it’s recording. A clearout? Pallet cleanser perhaps?! Whilst his signature style has matured into a softer, more minimalist vibe, his trademark wit and loose-ness can be heard on these unfinished demo’s. It just shows his relentless creativity, that every small idea, every melody that comes into his head has to be explored. It’s certainly the mark of a man who’s restless. A trait of releasing demo’s is nothing new, as following his first five studio albums, he would release the following year an album of demo’s, allowing the listener to hear early drafts and see how the completed track evolved.
If After hitting the high notes effortlessly on Finally Alone, Still Beating from fourth album This Old Dog draws one of the biggest singalongs and an impressive keyboard solo by Alec Meen. During the instrumental outro which had the near 5,000 of us singing every word he performs some pretty impressive jumping kung fu style kicks. It’s quite apparent that he can’t sit still. Between songs he makes little quips, sometimes nonsensical. He chirps and whoops into the mic, throughout the songs he swings the microphone cord in big sweeping circles and throws shapes that wouldn’t look out of place in an intepretive dance recital.
Freaking Out The Neighbourhood is a highlight, not just because of it’s infectiously groovy melody but with an extended outro, which DeMarco and band toys with the crowd, pausing before continuing faster and faster as a mosh pit opens up in the stalls. The boisterous nature of audience feeding off the Canadian’s goofiness. What’s the point of taking yourself seriously when you can feel so much joy by letting go of the ego and singing and dancing with strangers.
Moonlight On The River, which is for the most part, a beautifully quiet song, descends into a cacophony of distortion, of feedback, Melanson on drums driving the song to it’s conclusion. After a brief departure from the stage, Mac and the band return to perhaps his most well known song, the synth heavy Chamber Of Reflection which tonight feels transcendental. Finishing with My Kind Of Woman, a see of phone’s light up the Brixton Academy in a wonderful finale.
As unserious as Mac DeMarco can appear, he has touched a generation with his impactful songwriting and lax easy-going playing and performance style. In a career-spanning two hour, 29 song set, tonight was a celebration of the alternative. Veering into lo-fi minimalism in recent years, live is where Mac DeMarco demands your attention. Don’t look away, as you’ll definitely miss something entertaining.
Live review of Mac DeMarco @ O2 Academy Brixton, London by Chris Lambert on 12th June 2026. Photography by ShotByBrodie.
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