Statistically, Bloodywood are 10 times more popular now than they were just six years ago. When India’s most talked-about metal export played their first London show in 2019, it was to 250 people at the O2 Academy Islington. Two albums, hundreds of gigs and several viral hits later, they’ve sold out the 2,500-capacity Forum down the road in Kentish Town.
The numbers don’t lie, but they don’t illustrate the sheer passion the New Delhi outfit draw from their onlookers either. From the moment they storm onstage and burst into Dana Dan – recently heard on the soundtrack of Dev Patel blockbuster Monkey Man – this crammed-in crowd will not stop moving. The band’s blend of Bollywood verve and nu metal bounce is so infectious that it hops the language barrier, everybody in the house pumping their fists and screaming along to the Hindi song’s hook “Dan! Dan! Dan!”
It’s an instant mission-accomplished for Bloodywood, given that almost everything they do is in the name of excitement. There are no ballads across their 2022 debut Rakshak and this month’s follow-up Nu Delhi – just stomping banger after stomping banger. Plus, on tour, the trio of rapper Raoul Kerr, screamer Jayant Bhadula and guitarist Karan Khatiyar expand their ranks, adding both a conventional drummer and a dhal player. As well as nodding towards the band’s heritage, the two-percussionist setup gives them a thumping power comparable to Slipknot. When the breakdowns in Tadka and Bekhauf hit, that power gets this huddled-together auditorium to mosh with abandon.
The band members similarly refuse to stand still, marching around the stage in vibrant garb as CO2 cannons fire around them and sparks fall behind them. There’s still room for vulnerability, though, especially when Kerr and Bhadula dedicate Jee Veerey to those battling depression. Katiyar plays the flute during the 2018 single, giving it a sensitive and distinctly South Asian flair, while the thudding rhythm section keeps the adrenaline flowing.
Gaddaar (Hindi for “traitor”) ends the night on its most intense note. Kerr and Bhadula savage the oppressors of the world as Kadiyar unloads staccato, djent-like chugs. “Never will I stop! Never will I say die!” the rapper declares – nor does he have any reason to. Bloodywood have already amassed a catalogue of anthems and become their country’s biggest metal band, and they can clearly keep any crowd in the palm of their hand. Wherever the ceiling for this lot is, it’s not in view yet.
Bloodywood setlist: O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – March 27, 2025
Dana Dan
Nu Delhi
Aaj
Tadka
Jee Veerey
Bekhauf
Machi Bhasad (Expect A Riot)
Halla Bol
Encore:
Gaddaar
