Queen Kwong’s Secret is Out In Photo’s @ Forum Kentish Town

Queen Kwong (Pauline Di Silvestro)

Queen Kwong aka Carré Calloway and band may not be new to the scene but they are one of the best-kept secrets in music. Discovered by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor when Carré was seventeen they have joined NIN on major tours. At the O2 Forum, they are opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and joining them on a range of the dates on their international tour.

Playing a five-song set we were treated to a snapshot of new album, Love Me to Death, a powerful mix of punk with sparse industrial elements all threaded through with Carre’s piercing vocals. Her influences are present in both her musical style and stage performance; hints of PJ Harvey, Babes in Toyland and The Stooges can be heard in tracks like Raptures and Bells On. Carre pounds her booted feet into the stage, quaking and twisting her long limbs and skidding across the front of the stage at eye level, knees akimbo wailing to the crowd.

On Happiest Day On Earth, she wows the audience with a death drop into her knees while she tears at her guitar, her hair cascading over the front of it. The full force of her energy is contagious, and her band are in a constant state of motion: The bass player kicking downwards, body tense. The lead guitarist, hair flying shaking out the power from the chords. The drummer a sublime free flow of red hair drawn away from her face with every hammer of her sticks. This kind of presence and charisma will draw fans to gigs, get ahead of the inevitable rush and take whatever chance you get to see Queen Kwong now.

Queen Kwong (Pauline Di Silvestro)

Photography by Pauline Di Silvestro & Words by Sarah Sievers at Queen Kwong (supporting BRMC) at Forum, Kentish Town, 26th July 2018

Queen Kwong have two more dates in the UK

Mon 30^th July UK, Glasgow, O2 Academy w/ BRMC

Tue 31^st July UK, Manchester, Night & Day Café

https://rockshotmagazine.com/210425/stone-free-festival-in-photographs/

The Wildhearts @ O2 Academy Islington (Louise Phillips)

The Wildhearts vs. Meryl Streek Ignite London’s O2 Academy Islington

Tonight is The Wildhearts’ traditional December London show, a dual celebration of Christmas and Ginger Wildheart’s birthday — he turns 61 on 17th December. This year the festivities take place at North London’s O2 Academy Islington, with Meryl Streek as the sole support act.

Spike And The Gimme Gimmes @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (Nick Allan)

Here’s Another Cover: Spike And The Gimme Gimmes Turn Christmas Into A Punk Rock Singalong Riot

Spike And The Gimme Gimmes don’t just play shows – they turn rooms into shared experiences, where sweat, nostalgia, and punk energy collide at full volume. On this night, at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town, that collision came wrapped in Christmas lights, tinsel, and unapologetic festive excess.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Spread Their Love To The Troxy

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – the garage heroes who’ve ‘spread their love’ across the globe before selling out...

Drink The Sea @ Jazz Cafe (Adrian Hextall)

Drink The Sea Cast A Spell On London’s Jazz Café

London gets its first taste of Drink The Sea tonight, and it immediately feels like something special. Touring in...

Better Joy @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

Better Joy’s Rise Continues As Manchester Indie-Pop Breakout Commands London’s Hammersmith Apollo

Better Joy’s upward momentum shows no sign of slowing as Bria Keely brings her shimmering indie-pop project to the vast stage of Hammersmith Apollo on 20th November 2025, opening for Amy Macdonald. It’s a landmark moment for the Manchester-based songwriter, whose journey from intimate rooms to arena-sized crowds has accelerated at remarkable speed over the past eighteen months.

Alabama 3 Inject A Hypo Full Of Love Into O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

The enigma that is Alabama 3, the world’s only acid house country band, are the perfect strong finish to 2025. Holographic suits, raving to John Pine covers and even the AI resurrection of deceased co-founder Reverend D Wayne Love take second place to the overwhelming sense of joy in an eclectic community that’s coalesced around their charismatic music.

GUV Unveils Euphoric New Single ‘Warmer Than Gold’ Ahead of January Album Release

GUV has shared a new single, Warmer Than Gold, the latest offering from his forthcoming album of the same name, due...

Mumford & Sons Return Home Renewed And Reignited At The O2 Arena

Mumford & Sons often still conjure images of waistcoats, banjos and the folk revival that erupted in 2009, but...