Live Review: Raging Speedhorn with Kill the Lights & Enquire Within at The Underworld, Camden, London (21/03/25)

Raging Speedhorn are so hot right now. Riding the wave of a well-received brand-new album, and packed out shows around the country, the legendary metallers have arrived in London as the temperature outside begins to creep upwards. Which, if you know this venue well, means the Underworld is feeling bit sweaty even before they hit the stage.

What’s sweat for though, if not for spilling in the name of Raging f**king Speedhorn!?

It’s early doors and an early start for local groove metallers Enquire Within, but that doesn’t stop a hearty crowd up for a strong bout of head banging from filling the floor. Efforts that are rewarded with a powerful set of tracks that showcase the best of this band. Big riffs, big melodies, big energy, and even bigger groove. That’s Enquire Within and their comfortability on a stage like this is pleasing to see. Plenty in attendance are well aware of this band’s quality already, but you can also see (and hear) that they gained some new fans too.

With the crowd suitably warmed up, the venue beginning to fill out even more, and the air started to get a bit thicker, Kill the Lights arrive to delivering a modernised blast of metalcore tunes. Some of which sound immense, and some of which fall just a little flat. Those moments lack ‘oomph’ and take the energy down a bit when the majority of people are looking for reasons to go a bit wild. Which, to be fair, Kill the Lights can deliver on, and do so with power and poise during this set. It’s just a bit ‘up and down’, even if the antics of a couple of people in the pit are fairly entertaining (if not a bit distracting). When it’s good, it’s really freaking good though and the two styles of vocals mesh really well together live.

How about Raging Speedhorn though? If you were here, you know how great this was. In my review of the Night Wolf I said this:

I am wholeheartedly convinced that this band is getting better and better with age. Writing the best music of their careers, delivering the strongest live shows, and approaching everything with a fervour that just makes their icon status even more important. While the self-titled debut album (2000) will always be a seminal piece of work, what they are producing in the modern times is so much stronger.

I stand by those words and feel justified based off this show, an absolute blast of high-powered heavy energy that turned the Underworld into the sweatiest place in London. Expectations were high, but expectations were well and truly blown away. A lot of the set is focused on the modern side of the band, with many tracks taken from Night Wolf, but those hungry for some classics aren’t left wanting either. Raging Speedhorn have found a very strong balance of who they were and who they are now, showcasing the intensity they’re renowned for, but clearly able to have fun with it, while being focused on delivering the best of themselves.

They sound awesome, have such swagger, and know how to get the crowd constantly moving, and the Underworld floor is a seething mass of bodies at certain points in the set. Yet, everyone is smiling, everyone is shouting along, and everyone is in awe of an iconic band proving (yet again) that they are untouchable when it comes to creating lovable chaos.

If you missed them on this tour, make sure you’re at the next, they are a sight to behold, and while you will come away bruised, you’ll be so satisfied.