London, The Garage, 30/07/25
If you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the scene recently, it’s been impossible to ignore the rise of PRESIDENT.
Back in February, the mystery began with a silhouette of a figure in a dark corridor, an ominous red light emitting from the distance. As the days went on, more pieces of the puzzle came together. White gloves, the neon-lit Cross of Lorraine, a podium – and a mask.
A deeply unsettling disguise covering the face of a formally dressed man, that’s all it took to send the internet into total meltdown. Before any music, any live performance, or any hint of the bigger picture, the entire scene was hooked.
Five months later, things have become a lot clearer. A triumphant inaugural rally taking place at Download Festival, three songs officially out in the world, and a debut EP set to land in September, the story of PRESIDENT is well and truly underway.
An almost unbelievable ascent, we only have to take a look at the numbers to understand the magnitude of what’s happening here.
The project’s first single, ‘In The Name Of The Father’, has hit over 8 million streams. They’ve racked up over 150,000 followers across their social media platforms, and their debut headline rally sold out in less than five minutes. That’s where we are tonight, and there are 600 people tightly packed into the sweatbox of London’s The Garage waiting for history to unfold.
As bodies shuffle around, grabbing drinks and attempting to find a decent spot to catch the action, there are some noticeable common threads in the conversations buzzing through the crowd. There are those reminiscing on the band’s Download set, still astonished at how confidently they seized their moment with just over seven minutes of recorded music to their name. Then, there are the inevitable whispers surrounding the identity of the man behind the mask. Lastly, there are plans already being put in place to catch the band on their debut headline tour in 2026, some even toying with the idea of heading overseas.
From the moment each person enters the room tonight, they become entirely fixated on the moment that stands before them, whatever was happening elsewhere in their lives rendered insignificant for the next few hours.
The ominous, otherworldly presence of London duo Zetra are first to take to the stage, a black sheet removed to reveal a mystical portal dazzling with distorted video projections. The project’s androgynous members stand either side of the object covered in corpse paint, whisking us away to another dimension. The eerie, unsettling synths of opener ‘Sacrifice’ feel at home in the odd allure of a night like this, whilst the dreamy gothic buzz of latest single ‘The Spider’ gets bodies moving and heads nodding in approval.
Upon the pair’s exit, a playlist of classics cuts through the speakers, including Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Great Balls Of Fire’, The Blues Brothers’ ‘Shake A Tail Feather’ and John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s iconic collaboration on Grease hit ‘You’re The One That I Want’. Creating a vibe that feels akin to a 1970’s cocktail party, bunting is strewn across the venue, decorated with the word ‘PRESIDENT’ and the crucifix logo that is also plastered on the shirts of many here tonight.
Flags with that same symbol being waved throughout the crowd, as a red light is cast over the stage, the palpable excitement edges closer to explosion. Deafening chants of ‘PRESIDENT’ sound out as the ‘Ike For President’ jingle plays, the sound of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential already a familiar intro for those who managed to squeeze their way into the tent for the band’s Download set.
Four figures – known only as President [lead], Vice [drums], Protest [bass], and Heist [guitar] – step onstage, barrelling straight into the anthemic onslaught of ‘Fearless’. No greetings or pleasantries are needed, the raucous chants of the title in the song’s pre-chorus serving as a perfect introduction to the chaos, accompanied by hundreds of fists punching the air defiantly.
With just thirty minutes to make their mark, the desperate pleas and luscious layered melodies of unreleased track ‘Dionysus’ feel utterly magnificent, building towards some glorious throat-shredding screams from the project’s leader during the breakdown. Towards the front of the venue, there are fans belting out every single word to its crushing chorus, clearly having smashed the replay button on live footage of its Download debut.
“And you, my father, there on the sad height //
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray //
Do not go gentle into that good night //
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
The spoken-word rendition of a verse from Dylan Thomas’ 1947 poem silences the room as it blasts from the speakers, the gentle electronic reverb of latest single ‘RAGE’ gradually taking over. Found somewhere between the euphoric, melancholic techno tendencies of Bicep and the futuristic ferocity of Shikari Sound System, it’s a moment for the frontman’s wickedly versatile vocal pipes to shine. The high, chesty wails of the second chorus, the delicate, haunting ‘ooo’s that soar through the outro, the sheer raw power of the final screams – every note feels transcendent.
After a rapturous, pitch-perfect cover of Deftones’ 2000 single ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ catches the room off-guard, ‘Destroy Me’ brings us firmly back into the world of PRESIDENT. Becoming a fan-favourite since its live debut last month, the slick emo-rap delivery of the verses collides with the brutal screams and early 2000s post-hardcore nostalgia of its chorus.
“Let it be known, this is merely the opening chapter //
We did not come to whisper; we came to build //
A movement, a sound, a future //
Remain alert, stay united, and above all, stay loud //
We will see you soon. God speed.”
A recorded message serving as a farewell to those gathered before them, the following opening chimes of ‘In The Name Of The Father’ instigates one final frenzy. Testing the lung capacity of the room with its mighty chorus, a gloved finger circles in the air, the leader demanding a pit be opened before him. All hell breaks loose for the final 30 seconds, limbs colliding and sweat dripping from grinning faces. After one last singalong, the masked figure bows before raising his arms toward the audience, soaking in the moment.
For rock fans across the world, there will always be those shows that feel like true definitive moments. Those evenings that in years to come, people will say, ‘Imagine being there’, and a lucky few will have the bragging rights of announcing, ‘I was’. Truthfully, this feels like one of those moments. With only a handful of songs to their name, PRESIDENT have already managed to create the kind of magic most bands work tirelessly for years to hone. A declaration of their arrival, and a promise of so much more still to come, this is rock history in the making.
