There are underplays, and then there are events. On a humid Monday night in Camden, The Pretty Reckless transform London’s 500-capacity Underworld into the hottest ticket in town, delivering a sweat-soaked, career-spanning performance just days before their appearance at Download Festival and ahead of the release of their fifth studio album Dear God on 26th June.
The Pretty Reckless @ Underworld
For a band accustomed to commanding arenas and festival main stages, the intimacy of the Underworld feels almost surreal. Every inch of the venue is packed long before showtime, anticipation crackling through the room. As a heartbeat begins to pulse through the PA, slowly accelerating, the lights drop and Taylor Momsen strides onto the tiny stage. Flanked by guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon, drummer Jamie Perkins and their touring guitarist, the band wastes no time in detonating Death By Rock And Roll.
The effect is immediate. Phillips’ screaming guitar lines slice through the venue while Perkins drives the song forward with relentless force. At the front, Momsen throws her head from side to side, long blonde hair flailing wildly as she stalks the stage, every inch the rock star. The crowd responds in kind, screaming every word back at her.
“London!” she roars before the band crashes straight into Since You’re Gone and then Follow Me Down, the temperature inside the subterranean venue rising with every song. By now, Momsen’s leather jacket has long since been discarded. “London! We’ve got a pretty fuckin’ cool show for you tonight,” she announces to deafening cheers. “We are gonna take it back to the very fucking beginning. And all the way to the fucking future.” It’s not an empty promise.
The Pretty Reckless have always possessed a catalogue deeper than the handful of songs most casual listeners know, and tonight they lean heavily into that history. Miss Nothing receives its first outing since 2022, prompting a huge response from longtime fans.
“All right, London, we haven’t played this in a very long time. Sing it if you know it!” The challenge is accepted as Just Tonight, also absent since 2022, sparks one of the loudest singalongs of the evening. Yet this isn’t simply a nostalgia trip. The forthcoming Dear God is given a prominent showcase throughout the night and the new material sits comfortably alongside the established favourites. Live debut Life Evermore arrives early in the set, its soaring melodies already feeling familiar, while the brooding For I Am Death demonstrates why it has become a fan favourite since its release last year.
The Pretty Reckless @ Underworld
When a fan’s heartfelt scream of “I love you!” rings out from the crowd, Momsen seizes the moment. The declaration provides a perfect lead-in to another live debut, Love Me, its slower, atmospheric groove briefly bringing the frenetic energy down before the punk-fuelled When I Wake Up kicks everything back into top gear. The balance between old and new proves one of the night’s greatest strengths. Rather than feeling like previews, the new songs already sound fully formed and road-tested, comfortably earning their place amongst fan favourites.
The eerie narration that introduces Sweet Things instantly excites the faithful, while Witches Burn arrives accompanied by dialogue from the classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz film. Before launching into the song, Momsen revisits the now-infamous incident that has become forever attached to it.
“Alright, London. So this next song was a song, and then the craziest fucking shit happened to me. And now, it’s a story that goes with this song. I was bitten by a bat on an AC/DC tour in Sevilla, Spain, in the middle of this next fucking song. Too fucking weird, you guys. Shit like that doesn’t happen.” The crowd erupts. During the song’s instrumental section, Momsen turns her attention away from the microphone and begins orchestrating the audience instead, pitting each side of the room against the other to determine who can scream the loudest. The competition is fierce.
As enjoyable as the newer material is, the evening reaches another level when Momsen pauses to reflect on the significance of playing such a small venue. “London! I’ve gotta tell you, it’s very fun to play a small venue like this. We haven’t done this in years. I believe the last time we played a venue this small was, in fact, right here, in London.” The roar of approval suggests many in attendance understand the significance.
The Pretty Reckless @ Underworld
“And to this day, 17 years later, it is still one of the most memorable shows in our fucking career. And this next song was, in fact, one of those songs that made it so memorable. So let’s try to relive that fucking night.” The opening notes of Make Me Wanna Die barely register before the crowd takes over. Huge sections of the song are handed to the audience, who deliver every lyric at full volume while Momsen paces the stage, grinning broadly as thousands of memories collide with the present.
The communal atmosphere only grows stronger during Going To Hell. Momsen raises both arms above her head and demands participation. “I need to hear just how loud you can fuckin’ get. I need every one of you screaming ‘I’m going to hell’!” The response shakes the foundations of The Underworld.
Before Heaven Knows, Phillips provides one of the night’s funniest moments, sharing a story about touring with AC/DC: “We have a tendency to start talking in British accents when we’re over here,” he jokes before explaining how he has spent years sneaking a snippet of their headliner’s hit Highway To Hell into the ending of Going To Hell. “The first night, the whole band looks at me and they’re like, ‘You can’t fucking do that, dude. You cannot fucking do that.’ Well, turns out they’re not even there. They don’t give a fuck.” The room dissolves into laughter.
Then comes Heaven Knows, and with it another enormous singalong. Perkins’ pounding drums seem capable of moving the entire building while Phillips layers soaring, effects-drenched guitar lines across the chorus. Above it all, Momsen whips her hair through the air and commands every eye in the room.
As the set approaches its conclusion, she hints that tonight may not be a one-off experience: “Alright London, I gotta tell you, this has been so much fucking fun. It’s been so much fun that I really want to do this again, so if I were you, I would stay tuned to the internet. Like, check it tomorrow, kind of thing.” And sure enough, a show at Kingston’s Circuit venue on 16th June with Banquet Records will be taking place.
Take Me Down appears to bring proceedings to a close, but nobody believes it. The chants of “one more song” begin almost instantly and soon draw the band back to the stage. Momsen returns wearing an oversized red T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Fuck Happens”.
The Pretty Reckless @ Underworld
“I know it’s a Monday night, but who’s fucking drinking tonight?” Judging by the reaction, quite a few people. My Medicine is dedicated to the drinkers and receives a thunderous welcome before the evening takes one final unexpected twist.
“We got a surprise for you. But it requires a favour, and some fucking discretion.” Momsen reveals that everyone in attendance is about to become part of the group’s next music video. “I need you to put your fucking phones down, because we’re about to play you a new song that isn’t out yet.”
Phillips follows up with a grin: “And if you do take video of it, post it after it comes out.”
“Yeah,” Momsen laughs. “Be a team player.” The request is largely respected. Phones disappear, anticipation rises and the crowd is instructed to lose their minds. “Tonight, London. This is all about you!”
The resulting performance of About You is a fitting finale. Despite being heard live for the first time, the upbeat, infectious track is met with energy usually reserved for established classics. Hands clap in unison, voices join in wherever possible and, if the band is looking for compelling footage for a future music video, they find it.
For a group preparing to return to giant festival stages at Download Festival before embarking on a UK headline tour later this year, this show serves as a reminder of what made The Pretty Reckless such a compelling live proposition in the first place. Without elaborate production or arena-sized spectacle, the focus remains squarely on the songs, the chemistry between band and audience, and a frontwoman who still performs every moment as though her life depends on it.
Seventeen years after creating one of their most memorable London shows in a tiny room, The Pretty Reckless returned to Camden and do it all over again.
Live review and Photography of The Pretty Reckless @ Underworld, Camden by Kalpesh Patel. on 1st June 2026.
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