YONAKA – LIVE REVIEW – 02 KENTISH FORUM

YONAKA Bring Their New Chapter Roaring to Life in London

Yonaka once came close to calling it quits. At O2 Forum Kentish Town, they sounded like a band with everything still to prove. Opening with Problems, the Brighton trio launched into a set that showcased the confidence and bite of their second album, Until You’re Satisfied.

The road to this second coming was far from straightforward. After the early success of their 2019 debut, Don’t Wait ’Til Tomorrow, the Brighton alternative-rock band reached a point where they questioned whether they had a future together.

Their decision to keep going has brought a renewed sense of purpose. Rather than retracing familiar ground, Yonaka have pushed their sound in a fresh direction, emerging heavier, louder and more anthemic than before.

At the heart of that resurgence are original members Theresa Jarvis on vocals, George Edwards on guitar and Alex Crosby on bass, joined for the album and tour by drummer Adam Breeze.

Theresa commands attention with an expressive stage presence, moving constantly and drawing the crowd into every song. Alex and George hold their own alongside her, each finding moments to shine within a trio that looks thoroughly at ease together. Behind them, Adam Breeze delivers a formidable performance on drums, playing shirtless with an intensity that matches the music’s bite.

Love and relationships run through the new album, but vulnerability is matched by defiance and a growing sense of self-worth. Live, those tensions take on an extra force. Theresa repeatedly spoke about how good it felt to be back “where we belong”, and the band’s renewed enthusiasm was clear throughout.

Predator, the second song of the night, showcased Yonaka at their most aggressive and intense. Its themes of confidence, empowerment and dominance matched the swagger of the performance.

Miss Millennial offered a more playful, sarcastic contrast, with Theresa’s vocals taking centre stage. Her delivery brought out an Alanis Morissette-like edge, adding another dimension to the band’s sound.

Eat You Alive and Cruel pushed the intensity higher still. Here, Yonaka’s increasingly anthemic sound came into its own, pairing dark, obsessive lyrics with choruses built to draw the crowd in.

While tracks from the new album dominated the set, Theresa, George and Alex offered a change of pace with acoustic versions of Don’t Wait ’Til Tomorrow and Lose Our Heads. Both worked brilliantly in stripped-back arrangements, giving the crowd a breather from the full-band intensity and allowing the songwriting to shine. The evening’s biggest thrills, however, came when Yonaka turned the volume back up.

One of the evening’s most memorable moments was a thumping rendition of Hands Off My Money, its defiant message about exploitation in the music industry matched by an emphatic crowd response. The audience’s involvement intensified during the encore, when Theresa headed into the first few rows of the Forum.

This show felt like much more than Yonaka touring a new album. It was a high- octane statement of intent from a band that has gone from questioning its own future to re-emerging bolder, braver, brasher and louder than before.