Waterparks - The Prowler Tour - London O2 Forum Kentishtown 26/03/26
- Char
- Mar 28
- 6 min read
It may have been the last night of The Prowler Tour for the Houston trio, but you'd never have known if you just showed up. Awsten Knight took the stage with his signature chaotic energy, which refused to relent for the entire set. Geoff Wigington was not far behind, bouncing and spinning across both sides of the stage, and Otto Wood may not have moved from being behind the drum kit, but his unique drum style kept up with his bandmates' stamina.
With a preview of the yet-to-be-released track 'Prowler', news of the new album, and a turbulent atmosphere all night, London was a night to remember for both fans and Waterparks themselves.
Greywind - Ireland's fastest growing gem
Formed by siblings Steph and Paul O'Sullivan, Greywind's motivation to make a big name for themselves whilst coming from the small town of Killarney in Southwest Ireland has seen them break the UK scene with ferocity.
Steph's stage mannerisms and glamour nod to a modern-day Hayley Williams, but with her own twist that matches their emo alternative rock vibe of powerful emotional lyrics and a mix of upbeat and mellow guitar tracks. The stage's large size posed no issue, as each band member made sure to use it to their advantage, engaging with the crowd in every section of the audience. Greywind finished the set, having the entire audience hold flashlights in the air, a beautiful image from the stage proving they had won over the large crowd on both the standing level and the balcony. They may have been a last-minute addition to the opening slot after the original act had to pull out, but they complement Waterparks energy and vibe so well that you would have assumed they would have been a first pick as opener.
Waterparks - Showing why they will always be 'God's favourite fucking boyband'
The last time Waterparks hit London was back in August last year for an intimate show of fewer than 500 at Camden Underworld; however, Kentishtown Forum's 2,300-person capacity venue proved no challenge for the band and their dedicated fan base, who blew the roof off throughout the entire set.
Awsten dubbed this tour the "Road to the album tour" after declaring the new album is now finished, 3 years after the drop of 'Intellectual Property'.
Starting the show with 'Blonde', the set list opened with a bang, featuring three high-impact fan favourites before slipping into the tour's key feature: a split into parts based on the emotional connection to the songs, with a fan vote between two songs to decide which to play. With a video introduction before each, we were treated to a journey through happiness, sadness, anticipation, and anger.
Happiness:
Starting with 'Stupid For You', the upbeat, pop-infused part of the set list had everyone jumping along and screaming at the top of their lungs as Awsten showed just how easily he can control a crowd. Even this early in the set, the trio make it obvious just how much they love what they do, and their chemistry on stage adds to the performance just as much as the flawless vocals and instrumentals.
The first vote of the night was between 'Telephone' and 'Peach (Lobotomy)' and had the crowd roaring with shouts for their picks, landing on 'Telephone' to be played.
During 'Dreamboy', Awsten wrapped a pride flag around his shoulders, an act that has become a signature of the song, a nod to the band's LGBTQ+ fans and inclusivity within the fandom.
Sadness:
The emotional songs came next, as Awsten sat at the front of the stage for the slower 'High Definition', maintaining his animated performance style with his gestures and eye contact among the front rows as he poured his emotions into his vocals.
'Not Warriors' was voted next over 'Gloom Boys', picking the tempo up again before Awsten proclaims the next song, 'Cry Baby', is his favourite track, filling the room with haunting vocals and stormy lighting and visuals play on stage.
'Whatever Awsten is doing' Acoustic section:
This is part of the show where Geoff and Otto leave the stage as Awsten brings out the acoustic guitar and treats us to parts of older favourites, seemingly whichever pops into his head in the moment, so it varies from show to show. The audience got another vote here between '21 Questions' and 'Lucky People', both heartfelt songs whose acoustic versions hit on a deeper level, with the audience choosing '21 Questions' tonight. This was followed by 'I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Wanna Die Anymore' to end the section as Awsten is joined on stage by Geoff and Otto after the introduction. Being one of Waterparks' most notable tracks, the crowd chants along with the vocals, loud enough to drown out the band and the lower section, all jumping in time with one another after being instructed by Awsten.
Anticipation:
The tracks featured on the new album are up next.
"It's been three years, the longest we've taken to make an album. You can boo us for five seconds!", Awsten says to the crowd before giving them a countdown as they erupt into rounds of loud booing before slamming into 'If Lyrics Were Confidential'. After posting a TikTok of his own choreographed moves to one of the verses, the crowd displayed them back to the band during the song, with laughter at the giant face of Timothée Chalamet flashing on the screen.
We got a taster of the unreleased track 'Prowler', a hard-hitting, heavier track that had the middle section of the crowd turn into a giant mosh pit. The anticipation for the new album reached a new high, and with confirmation that Waterparks will be back in London for the next tour, moshing and crowd-surfing became a constant for the rest of the show.
'Any Minute Now' ends the anticipation section on an emotional note, being a song that has hit deep with a lot of fans (including myself) since its release back in November. The room is lit up with flashlights swaying in the air, adding to the magic of the song and providing a beautiful visual from both the stage and crowd.
Anger:
Loud, intense, heavy and powerful, this is where the crowdsurfing and moshing really come into play. With darker lighting, heavier bassier tones, and harsher lyrics, the crowd give it their all here, chanting the opening to 'TANTRUM' and starting multiple mosh pits. Here is where we see Awsten's ability for gravely vocals and screams, adding to his vocal range beyond the smoother melodies in the earlier songs.
'Real Super Dark' had the room shaking with its energy before ending on 'Turbulent', with both the bands' and the crowd's intensity refusing to die down despite the energetic setlist before it. The band left the stage to huge rounds of applause and cheers before coming back for one final heavy hitter.
Encore:
Awsten jumped down to the barrier to rial up the crowd one final time for 'Like It', fitting with its London interview intro. Encouraging everyone to crowd surf at the point, he helped pull fans towards the barrier safely as he leaned over the front rows to get amongst the action before leaving again to louder cheers.
Final thoughts:
It's no wonder Waterparks have such a die-hard fan base: the band put in a lot of work to connect with their fans online and at their shows, getting them involved in setlist choices, crowd interactions, and personal insights into subjects other bands choose to keep private on their journeys in the recording studio. This show was just a glimpse at how big the tour for the next album will be. With flawless performance, matching colourful light shows and onstage visuals, they are shows that hit on multiple levels, displaying the love and passion poured into every aspect of Waterparks.
The Waterparks Curse may have had them run into some challenges across the tour, but they finished on a high, and we already can't wait to have them back!
Waterparks set list:
Blonde
Sneaking out of heaven
Fuck about it
Happiness:
Stupid for you
Vote - Telephone
Dreamboy
Funeral grey
Sadness:
High definition
Vote- Not warriors
Crybaby
I felt younger when we first met
Acoustic section
Mad All The Time You'd Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out To Get You) Dizzy Easy To Hate I'm A Natural Blue BRAINWASHED 11:11 Closer Violet! Rare Vote - 21 Questions I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Wanna Die Anymore
Anticipation:
If lyrics were confidential
Red guitar
Prowler - unreleased
Any minute now
Anger:
TANTRUM
Real super dark
Turbulent
Encore:
Like it
