The Underworld, London, June, 01, 2026
The fact that the last time The Pretty Reckless played a room the size of the Underworld was 16 years ago, and also, well, at the Underworld, shows just how meteoric their rise was back then and how sensational it continues to be now.
Though that’s what makes this occasion so beautifully full circle. Announced on Wednesday, sold out on Friday and taking place on the following Monday, it’s the sort of fevered word of mouth occasion that rock and roll was built on. And as the close quarters of this famous room fill up as swiftly as the temperature rises, there is an anticipation that you only get with this genre of music as well. A feeling that something that will be talked about for years is about to occur.
Though when it comes to where the band are at this moment, just a month out from the release of their new album ‘Dear God’, their most honest, vulnerable and warts-and-all depiction of where life in the fast lane can push you, it also feels like there is a very different sort of statement about to be made.
But before all of that, and as Taylor Momsen & Co march out onto the stage, and tear into the celebratory beats of ‘Death By Rock and Roll’, there is only one wholly certain thing. This is going to be a ride and a half.
A vital part of the rock-and-roll experience has always been hedonism; of pushing the limits with guitar, drums and bass as the soundtrack. And in such intimate surroundings, the thrills and chills that sit at the heart of the band’s music feel even more savage and sensational. ‘Follow Me Down’ is indulgently sensual, whilst ‘Witches Burn’ is euphorically powerful, pushing those in attendance to let everything out and savour the sensational heat that is starting to build.
Though it’s easy to lose all inhibitions when there is a ringleader of the magnitude of Taylor Momsen before you, showing you how it’s done. Shaking her hips as much as letting her devilish smile melt many a heart before her, she is, and has always been, made for the limelight. Looking and feeling completely free, she is such a powerful presence, the sort that hard, heavy and hellish music needs at its heart, steering the ship and embodying the sentiment. Commanding, captivating and cathartic in equal measure, whether she is completely transfixed by the solo coursing out of guitarist Ben Philips’ instrument or twirling like a ballerina in plaid and leather to the underlying romance of ‘Just Tonight’, it is impossible to take eyes off her.
Though, as the band’s recent output has already shown, the party has to end at some point. And it’s in these moments, where the band give tracks from ‘Dear God’ their debut live outings, that the layers peel away and the real emotion at the core of this band shows itself. During ‘Love Me’, a slow-building and painstakingly raw account of what it means to feel completely alone inside and out, you can see just how prominently these words have clearly buzzed through Taylor’s mind over the years, and the hurt that comes part and parcel with them is evident in her expression as she croons. And whilst the caustic punk grooves of ‘When I Wake Up’ get the crowd bopping, the sentiment still feels very raw and real, a reminder that excess and access isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. To be able to bridge this balance and to be able to demonstrate in such close quarters is a pleasure, to say the least, but also serves as a vital tonic.
It’s this very specific focus that gives the older songs in this career-spanning set a different sort of context. A spellbinding performance of ‘Miss Nothing’ throws things back to the very beginning, and shows how the struggle with self is a lifelong endeavour, whilst a raucous ‘Going To Hell’ gets the blood pumping, whilst serving to show that this life can throw you down as much as it picks you up.
The reaction to each track, despite the deeper meanings being uncovered before these 500 eyes, is one of total euphoria, with voices reaching the headiest of heights and smiles plastered across faces getting wider with every fresh lick dealt out. Taylor is noticeably touched by such a pure and personal reaction, allowing herself the time to be as playful as grateful, the appreciation for those choosing to be on this helter skelter of a journey with her brightly glistening in her eyes.
Though what tonight, and what The Pretty Reckless represents as a whole, all comes down to a very specific shared feeling, one that is demonstrated in an anthemic and unifying run-through of ‘Take Me Down’. The unmatched release and unifying power that rock music has, and what an effect that has on a person, for better and for worse. That getting together and letting loose for an hour and a half is as good for the soul as medicine, practice or lifestyle.
It’s something that is so wonderfully addictive that it sticks with you for life, and Taylor Momsen is proof of that more than anyone else. She and her band of storytellers and dream weavers are in this for the long run, and that is a guarantee. And in the sort of surroundings in which these timeless sounds were first conceived, the necessity for them to continue keeping the spirit of all of this alive and kicking has never been more vital.
The Pretty Reckless’ new album ‘Dear God’ is set for release on June 26 via Fearless Records.
