The Cardiff rock quartet Himalayas launched their Spring 2025 UK headline tour, and it was time to play at The Garage, London. The four-piece is on the road in support of their recently released album, BAD STAR. With vocals and guitar played by Joe Williams, vocals and guitar by Mike Griffiths, Louie Heaps on bass, and James Goulbourn on drums, the four-piece showed chemistry from the first note. On this tour, they mesh indie-rock roots with the heavier influences of Queens Of The Stone Age and Royal Blood. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm for familiar favourites and new tracks they will learn to adore.
Juju
The night was kicked off by Juju, who moved between dark pop and alt-rock in her music. Her voice was raw and electrified, reminding of the best of PJ Harvey. Juju was in constant motion, moving all around the stage. Her performance was very diversified, with song flowing into song smoothly. Even as I was hearing her for the first time, I was impressed by how great her performance was. When Juju finished, she got the crowd leaning forward in anticipation of more and for sure gained some new fans.
Luna Bay
Luna Bay from London are next, down one member in the evening, but that didn’t stop them. Their lead singer, Connor O’Mara, was in great form, diving into crowd-pleasers and belting out the choruses. Their tunes are contagious and eclectic, jumping from riffs to moody melodies in seconds. They have been working hard since I last saw them. Luna Bay are better than it ever was and more worthy of note than ever.
Himalayas
And on came the main act of the night: Himalayas. The Garage practically shook the moment they stepped out on stage. They launched straight into “Beneath The Barrel” from their new album, what a wild opener and clear statement of intent. Lights cut through the haze as Joe’s vocals soared above Mike’s riffs, Louis’s bass and James’s drums driving the whole thing forward.
After that, they played some old favourites like “Alone,” “Somebody Else,” “Thank God I’m Not You,” each one greeted by shouted lyrics from the crowd.
Then came the fresh tracks: “Surrender” and “A Brand New God” felt triumphant — and “What If…?” showed off the band’s range for melody and mood. Every drum fill and guitar riff landed with perfect timing and harmony, and you could feel the sweat and passion in every note.
To finish, the encore started with “Cave Paintings,” “Flatline,” and then surprised everyone with their mash-up of “From Hell To Here” into Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” remix.
This performance proved Himalayas are here to stay and are destined to pack out even bigger venues in London and beyond.
GALLERY: HIMALAYAS AT THE GARAGE IN LONDON, UK (JUNE 5, 2025)
