BABYMETAL live in London: A 15-year climb culminates in landmark show at The O2

Fifteen years ago, BABYMETAL emerged from the most unlikely of places: a school-themed idol group whose members were barely in their teens. Conceived as part of Sakura Gakuin’s after-school “Heavy Music Club”, the concept felt more novelty than long-term proposition. But novelty can be deceptive. Su-metal, Moametal, and later Momometal have not only endured but transformed, dragging the idol genre by its pigtails into uncharted territory. On May 30th 2025, BABYMETAL made history as the first Japanese artists to headline The O2 Arena in London.

It wasn’t their first time at the venue—they supported Red Hot Chili Peppers here in 2016—but this time the stage was theirs. The show closed a 14-date UK and Europe tour with support from Poppy and Bambie Thug, ahead of a 24-date North American run. Just two weeks to rest, then straight back into battle.

BABYMETAL have a knack for grabbing firsts. Their headline show at Wembley Arena in 2016 not only broke the venue’s merchandise sales record, it also made them the first Japanese artists to headline the venue, narrowly beating X JAPAN after the rock legends were forced to reschedule due to guitarist Pata’s hospitalisation. What should’ve been their moment became BABYMETAL’s, passing the baton to a new generation.

Kicking off the set, a cinematic fantasy voiceover charted their journey through the Metal Resistance and into the METAL FORTH era. Then came the thunderous ‘BABYMETAL DEATH’, as Su-metal, Moametal, and Momometal emerged from thick smoke. Jets of fire blasted across the stage, while thousands threw up the kitsune sign in unison. The band wasted no time asserting command. ‘Megitsune’ followed hard and fast, still a perfect floor-mover, its choreography sharper, honed by a decade of evolution since its release in 2014. ‘PA PA YA!!’ kept the energy surging, tight coordination and upgraded vocal power dialling the spectacle to full intensity.

This wasn’t just a greatest hits package though. The set featured five tracks from their upcoming fourth album ‘METAL FORTH’, due August 8th after a series of delays. The new material leaned heavily on collaboration, with video cameos from Tom Morello, Electric Callboy, Bloodywood, and Slaughter to Prevail. Poppy was the only guest to appear live, joining the trio for their joint track ‘from me to u’, backed by some of the most epic visuals of the night. Polyphia collaboration ‘Sunset Kiss’ received its world premiere, accompanied by an atmospheric shift in lighting that marked a turning point in the narrative arc of the show.

This was arena metal at max power. Fireworks, rising platforms, enormous video walls, and precision lighting designed for maximum drama. Compared to the gothic, Notre-Dame-inspired cathedral of their 2016 Wembley Arena setup, this was more polished industrial sci-fi than spiritual metal. But it echoed the kind of large-scale theatrics they’ve long delivered in Japan.

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Gone, however, are the visible theatrics of the Kami Band. Once an integral part of the show, the live musicians—now pulled from Stateside talent—perform masked and largely out of sight, more backing track than stage presence to the eye, but not the ear. Their playing remained the engine of the show. Technical guitar work, precision drumming, and low-end heft powered every track. When the cameras cut to them during solos, it was a needed reminder of the serious musicianship beneath all the lights and choreography.

The crowd was a microcosm of BABYMETAL’s improbable demographic: kids, goths, cosplayers, idol otakus, pensioners, and old-school metalheads—the kind of blokes who mock J-pop at the pub, then turn up in full tour merch, like a dad who said he didn’t want a dog but now walks it in a matching hoodie.

The long runway splitting the arena wasn’t doing anyone any favours when it came to full-scale pits or jaw-dropping walls of death, but the crowd found ways to make it work. Pockets of pit action broke out through the night, with the right side especially lively. When Su-metal called for a wall of death during the closing track, multiple sprung up alongside a handful of circle pits — not bad, considering the space constraints and security gently herding back anyone who drifted over the taped line bordering the crowd.

From the matsuri mix on ‘METALI!!’, the EDM bombast of ‘RATATATA’, to the welcomed nostalgia-bait singalong of ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’, the set was a seamless celebration of past and present. The encore upped the ante: Poppy’s live collaboration, the martial arts precision of ‘KARATE’, and the athletic stamina of Moametal and Momometal sprinting across the stage during ‘Ijime, Dame, Zettai’ as though powered by the flames around them. After weeks of full-length sets packed with choreography and non-stop movement—not to mention pyrotechnics you could feel from the upper tiers—the group’s stamina was Olympian. ‘Road of Resistance’ closed the night with a flag-waving, full-blast send-off, pyro flaring and confetti flying in all directions.

Before disappearing, Su-metal took a moment to thank the UK faithful. “Eleven years ago at Sonisphere, BABYMETAL’s fate changed forever”, she said. “Every time we played in the UK, you always welcomed us. Because of your love and support, we could believe in our journey. Thank you so much for your continued faith in BABYMETAL. We look forward to seeing you all again!”. Just as the trio vanished backstage, The O2 filled with the voice of Judas Priest legend Rob Halford. “Hi BABYMETAL. This is a message from the metal god Rob Halford”, he announced. “Lead heavy metal into the future. Stay metal! And beyond metal!”.

There’s something disorienting about realising that Su-metal is now pushing 30. For those who saw BABYMETAL at The Forum in 2014, or on the main stage at Sonisphere just two days prior, it’s hard not to feel the stretch of time. What once felt like a surreal, one-off curiosity has become something else entirely — a group that outgrew its own concept, weathered the exit of founding member Yuimetal, and pioneered the kawaii metal genre.

Some of the early novelty may have worn off, but it’s been traded in for muscle and influence, with a catalogue that defies genres while defining others and enough draw to command arenas worldwide. Fifteen years on, BABYMETAL aren’t winding down. If anything, ‘METAL FORTH’ feels like ignition, and only the Fox God knows what comes next.

Photos by Charles Shepherd

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