No one better to bring gothic Romance to Ally Pally than Motionless In white, and it was nothing short of a gothic theatrical spectre.

Words & Images by Josephine Best | 18 Feb, 2026

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Valentine’s Day in London is usually reserved for candle-lit dinners and overpriced flowers, but this year, thousands made the pilgrimage to Alexandra Palace for something far louder, where romance came in the form of blast beats, black eyeliner, and enough pyro to melt Cupid’s arrows, as Motionless In White headlined their biggest London show to date. 

There’s something about Australian metalcore that just hits differently, and Make Them Suffer proved that theory within minutes of taking the stage. Blending metalcore with symphonic elements, with the addition of keys and electronic layers giving certain moments in the set a cinematic feel without losing the band’s core heavy intensity that certainly woke up the crowd.

The highlight of course is the keytar coming out for their final song Doomswitch. In a genre often obsessed with brutality over flair, it injected a theatrical, almost retro-futuristic edge that made their performance feel bigger than a typical opening slot. More keytar in metalcore please and thank you. Make Them Suffer played like a band determined not just to warm up the crowd, but to conquer it, and judging by the early circle pits, mission accomplished.

Where Make Them Suffer dealt in darkness and devastation, Dayseeker traded in atmosphere and emotional resonance. Frontman Rory Rodriguez ranged effortlessly from fragile, near-whispers into full-bodied belts. That vocal dynamism and evolution in sound is a hallmark of the band’s most recent era, a shift that expanded their audience and turned deeply personal material into communal catharsis.

That said, Dayseeker’s set wasn’t without bite. Amid the swaying bodies and phone lights (very Valentine’s Day appropriate) Rodriguez broke the calm with “I haven’t seen one goddamn mosh pit the entire set. That needs to change right now” and with that, they launched into fan favourite Bloodlust instantly shifting the mood as the floor sprang to life, proving they could balance vulnerability with heaviness when they wanted to.

Then came the main event, and it didn’t so much begin as detonate. They opened in immediate sensory-overload fashion… but not quite in the way anyone expected. There were cats. Giant cats. Flying across the LED screens. It was surreal, slightly absurd, and completely hilarious, the kind of tongue-in-cheek visual gag that caught the crowd off guard and gave everyone a brief moment to laugh before the real onslaught began. A welcome bit of comedic relief… because seconds later, the chaos well and truly erupted.

From the first moments, Motionless In White transformed Alexandra Palace into a full-scale theatrical production with confetti cannons, fire, towering visuals, and back up dancers. It was the kind of arena-sized spectacle they’ve become known for across the pond in America, elaborate staging, choreographed performers, and cinematic visuals all dialled up to maximum. It felt purpose-built for Ally Pally’s enormity, but even amid the sensory overload, the human moments hit hardest.

Two or three songs in, frontman Chris Motionless paused, scanning the thousands in front of him:

“Mind if I just stare at you for a second? It’s Valentine’s after all and I just want to adore you.”

It was a rare still moment in an otherwise explosive show, made more meaningful as he reflected on the band’s 20-year journey and the significance of headlining their biggest London venue to date. He even cast his mind back to their 2016 London show at The Underworld, a full-circle memory that longtime fans felt in their bones. For me, that was the era of skipping school just to queue outside the venue. Seeing them now command Alexandra Palace felt surreal, a victory lap years in the making.

Chris spent the entire night in motion, pacing each edge of the stage, acknowledging and pointing out individual fans no matter where they stood. That constant interaction reinforced his reputation as one of heavy music’s most charismatic and personable frontmen.

Vocally, he was equally commanding, shifting between his signature venomous screams and clean, melodic hooks with ease, a versatility that has become central to the band’s live identity. To finally hear the iconic BLEGH of Thoughts and Prayers live was a definite personal highlight.

Behind him, the band were airtight. Breakdown after breakdown landed with surgical precision, while the visuals morphed from gothic horror to sci-fi dystopia. Backing dancers, The Cherrybombs, re-emerged in different forms with multiple costume changes throughout amplifying the carnival-meets-nightmare aesthetic the band have mastered throughout their career.

Musically, the setlist struck a careful balance between eras, and one moment in particular completely caught me off guard. Hearing City Lights from their debut album Creatures was a genuine surprise and, personally, the highlight of the night. The track’s haunting melody translated beautifully in the live setting of Alexandra Palace, carrying a wave of nostalgia that swept across the room. It felt like a gift to day-one fans, another reminder of how far the band has come while still honouring where they started.

In sharp contrast, their newest material proved just as impactful. Latest single Afraid of the Dark (barely two weeks out) already sounded road-tested and massive. The crowd response was immediate, with huge singalongs erupting as if the track had been in rotation for years. Live, it hit with a weight that suggests it’s destined to become a long-term staple of their set. That interplay between past and present defined the performance: early-era emotion sitting comfortably alongside their polished, theatrical modern sound.

By the time the lights dimmed, it was clear this wasn’t just another headline tour stop but was a milestone moment. A band that once played cramped Camden rooms now commanding one of London’s most iconic stages, armed with the production, confidence, and catalogue to match.

And on Valentine’s Day, no less – a gothic love letter returned in full voice.