The masked enigma’s sold-out Campaign Trail rolls into London, and PRESIDENT’s grip on the UK’s heavy scene only tightens.

Words by Felix Bartlett | April 22, 2026

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Given the current state of affairs, it feels slightly surreal announcing you’re off to spend an evening with a president worth listening to. And yet here we are, navigating TFL strike chaos to catch a glimpse of the most hyped masked enigma in heavy music right now. No, the orange man is not in town. This is a rally of an entirely different kind, shrouded in more mystery and genuine anticipation than any actual political figure could muster in the alternative world.

This moment has been a long time coming. A glimpse at a hero, a light in the darkness. Blonde locks (if you believe the rumours) disguised beneath an emotionless mask, a narrative that feels eerily fitting for most political entities in power, only this one is offering genuine hope and creativity in place of empty promises.

Opening the evening, TheBoyShadow lay down a marker of their own. Another masked quartet, another slice of the UK’s bubbling heavy underground, pairing thunderous riffs with vocal range and striking visuals. A band to keep an eye on. By the time they exit, the Forum is primed.

Then the room plunges into darkness. A single pink PRESIDENT logo glows from the lectern at centre stage. Phones rise, screams follow, and that unmistakable Presidential campaign music fills the Forum. Seconds later, the masked quartet of Heist, Protest, Vice and The President himself are in position, the opening bars of Fearless erupting into a full-voiced singalong as Mr President thrusts the microphone into the front rows.

The stage is drenched in neon pink. Theatrics or not, this feels like more than a show. It feels cult-like. You can sense it in the sweat-soaked mosh pit, where bodies move as one and the crowd unilaterally sings the guitar riff breakdown of Angel Wings back at the band. Whoever lies behind that mask is channelling a Slipknot-level sense of escapism. The mask becomes the man. The man becomes the movement.

Fresh single Mercy draws one of the biggest reactions of the night, barely a month old and sure to be a fixture as the setlist grows. A cover of Deftones’ Change (In The House Of Flies) arrives bathed in orange light, a slightly left-field move that lands beautifully even when only half the room knows the words. Destroy Me pulls everyone back in with its melodic screams and relentless drive, before an ominous monologue from the podium cues In The Name Of The Father, delivered as both closing ceremony and opening statement.

Nine songs in total, my only real criticism of an otherwise incredible set and one that ultimately leaves you hungry for more. With only a handful of released tracks in the catalogue, the inaugural album cannot come soon enough. But that is the point. This is a president you are going to want to follow, and a campaign whose final destination feels genuinely worth waiting for. First Download, then Takedown, now Kentish Town, with Slam Dunk next on the trail.

Last night was merely the opening chapter, and already it reigns.