Three Days Grace Deliver a Superb Show in London – Concert Review

There’s something sacred about a near-final tour date. The exhaustion is real, but so is the release; the untamed force that comes from knowing the tour is almost over, the last roars still to come, the fire still burning. At a sold-out O2 Academy Brixton, Three Days Grace not only played a show, but they also claimed the night, the city, and every heartbeat packed inside the venue – mine included.

Before that explosion, Badflower, an American rock band, gave a solid, generous 50-minute opening set. Ahead of their own upcoming London headline show, they delivered beautifully, vocally, and musically. By the time their set ended, Brixton was ready to go wild.

Three Days Grace arrived with total authority; their grip on the stage was instant, driven by songs from Alienation, an album made for big rooms and bigger energy. The staging was sharp and effective – an elevated drummer, two large screens set behind with visuals – everything designed to boost the impact without drowning out the music.

When I watched Adam and Matt on stage, I could see they weren’t rivals but brothers united by music – two voices from different eras of Three Days Grace standing side by side, stronger together. Animal I Have Become ripped through Brixton; pulled from One-X, the song transformed the crowd into one loud voice, fists in the air. So Called Life, released in 2021 as the lead single from Explosions, showed just how perfectly Adam and Matt’s vocals interlock. With Matt’s powerful edge driving the song and Adam’s screams cutting through, it was impossible to imagine this band without both of them on stage today.

Break from Life Starts Now had the crowd singing every word so loudly they practically became another member of the band. The harmonies between the audience, Adam, and Matt flowed naturally. Barry’s guitar tone cut through the room like rocket engines firing. Adam paused to take it all in, telling London how good it felt to be back, how every time they return, the city makes them feel at home – and the crowd believed him. Home, from the band’s 2004 self-titled debut, came through like a sacred relic – an oldie but goldie. The chanting was relentless, almost devotional. Adam took time to introduce the band and reflect on their journey: on success built without the machinery of social media, on survival through change, and on a decade in which the band endured even while Adam was away. Three Days Grace have grown stronger, and London loved them for it.

The Mountain from Outsider proved that evolution – loud and clear. Matt’s vocals were more powerful than ever, hitting high notes perfectly and unleashing controlled screams. “You mother*kers are fire tonight”, he shouted – and it wasn’t hyperbole; it was fuel. Newer material like Mayday from Alienation brought mosh pits across the floor. The band looked indestructible, locked in, and entirely in tune with one another. Pain off One-X, slowed the pace just enough to let the weight sink in – its chorus still massive, still devastating after all these years. Kill Me Fast showed the beauty hidden inside Alienation, a track lyrically and musically powerful, with Adam and Matt’s voices coming together so naturally that it felt inevitable.

I Hate Everything About You hit, and time seemed to fold in on itself. One of the band’s earliest anthems, first released in 2004, it remains a song people purge themselves through. Brixton let everything out. Time of Dying dragged the night back into heavier territory, Adam shouting his disbelief at the crowd’s energy, declaring how perfect it felt to be in London. Apologies from Alienation presented the power of the Adam–Matt partnership again, like a modern rock equivalent of two frontmen sharing one soul, think Layne and Jerry in spirit, not imitation. On stage, they are unstoppable.

Adam stepped forward alone for a cover of Radiohead’s Creep. What can be said about it? It was haunting and utterly sublime. Seeing Adam back on stage – healthier, happier, and fully present – carried immense emotional weight for anyone who has followed the band through its highs and lows. When half your life has been soundtracked by a band, moments like this simply heal your soul. That intimacy continued with Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight, featuring Saint Asonia’s Cale Gontier on acoustic guitar – Adam’s cousin.

The latter part of the set celebrated the Matt Walst era unapologetically. Matt’s songs, I Am Machine and Painkiller (both from the Human album, 2014), hit differently, and The Good Life proved how essential these tracks have become to the band’s live identity. The night concluded with Never Too Late and Riot, both from One-X, sending Brixton into another mosh pit.

Three Days Grace delivered a superb show, one that proved this band, in all its forms, has always been built on strength; that brotherhood doesn’t require blood; and that the grace surrounding this band isn’t limited to three days, it’s simply timeless.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a special focus on the Asian entertainment industry. Alongside in-depth features on emerging and established musicians, we provide thoughtful coverage of cinema, from independent films to international releases, exploring the stories and work that bring them to life. Through interviews, reviews, and features, we connect our audience with the voices and visions driving the cultural landscape today.}