From the graffiti-ed basement of the iconic Hope and Anchor in Islington comes an irresistible Rock rumble. LA’s Crymwav are back in the UK, and this year they’ve somehow amplified their dirty riffs and gritty vintage Rock stylings to levels fit to shake the walls of the packed cellar. If you missed them last time around, then shame on you : they won’t be playing venues this crammed forever, judging by the anthem quality which Crymwav pack into their choruses and the heady eighties excess they channel into every tune they crank out.
They start as they mean to go on, all gritty guitar lines and brash rock from the era of muscle cars with Loup Garou, and it feels like they’ve acquired more of a garage edge since the last time they graced our shores. Mars Fever sends us grooving and glitching onto another guitar planer, building with classic irresistible LA rock power, before lead single SOA (Sense Of Adventure) kidnaps us for a a road trip through the desert compressed into five minutes with neon splashes of guitar solo and gut-shaking drum breakdowns. There’s such an evocative quality in every track, hooking us up to an imagined night on Sunset Strip with each rapid fire chord.
Crymwav @ Hope & Anchor, London - 2026.03.20 by Pauline Di Silvestro
“LA’s similar to London in that it’s a cultural melting pot,” grins frontman Roger Deering, “and that’s the way we fucking like it.” His affinity for the capital means we’re treated to their latest single, Everything Turns Grey, upping the tempo and the pressure with anthem qualities and furious guitar rolls. Surfing A Crymwav, which has to be considered their origin song, slices like a shark through still waters, a mission statement popping with total cool and squealing guitar. Crymwav’s sound bridges the cities, and eras, with ease as we’re gripped at every sonic turn they take.
Menacing vintage sludge gives way to warming choruses on Contagious, and flies the flag of the distinct identity which Crymwav have carved out: dark, catchy and optimistic despite the smog of distortion with a triumphal finish. It’s not all serious, and that’s why we love Crymwav. They swing into the fun territory of the heavy rock sound with ease on songs like the ballsy, swaggering American Carnage, packed with roaring solos and bursting sense of fun that surges and climbs with our cheers. A short set leaves us begging for more. Encore Speak No Evil provides a blistering finish with a rhythm like a nail stuck in your tyre and a roar to match, a chiming bridge and a glitzy melodic send off like the city skyline emerging from the fog.
Crymwav’s annual trips to the UK have become a highlight of the year for fans of the heavy and timeless end of the rock spectrum, and there’s no way they’re slowing down any time soon. Roll on next year, when their juggernaut pulls into town again and we’ve got the chance to check out the finest in LA Rock.
A review of Crymwav live at the Hope and Anchor, Islington on 20th March 2026. Words by Kate Allvey, photography by Pauline Di Silvestro
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