Chaos Theory Festival 2025 – Day One

Back in February, I wrote a feature about the 15th anniversary of the Chaos Theory Festival, why you should grab yourself a ticket and join the fun for two Saturdays in a row in London. I have spoken about the bands you would see, the venues where they would play, and the passion behind the whole team. Well, now is the time to tell you how that went and why I may have gotten myself a new reputation of ‘the dancing photographer’ that I will weaponise as my entire personality from now on.

After having strolled my way to Walthamstow, blasting off the eponymous album from East 17, I arrived at the Signature Brew Blackhorse Road venue for what was Day One of the festival just in time to get my gear ready and say hi to the familiar faces.

The day started with Shropshire Hills’ finest import, Haress, which is very reminiscent of a darker Fairport Convention. This lovely quartet put on a very elegant and brilliant folk set, as if you were wandering off the windy moors Kate Bush so brilliantly sang about in Wuthering Heights. It was short and sweet. We even got to sing a little bit with them as they were handing out some notes before the set and giving extra gravitas to a gorgeous concert.

Next up was Kate Smith. Now, I will say that as much as I enjoy singing, I’m not particularly good at it, so obviously every time I see an incredible singer performing vocals on loops, I am immediately hooked. It was such a stellar performance through and through and felt like a cosy warm Sunday afternoon, wrapped around a weighted blanket like a burrito, sipping on a cheeky Bailey’s hot chocolate. One for my fellow chromesthetes for sure (writer’s note: chromesthesia is a neurological condition that causes people to associate specific sounds with colours), including her last song Got A Body which got me clapping and dancing. It was that good!

The next act, Lia Mice, was way more experimental and conceptual. Accompanied by Liza Bec, Geo Aghinea and the Chaos Theory master himself, Kunal Singhal, all had their ways with Lia’s Catastrophone, it was… it was something. It’s been a few days now and I’m still unsure on whether I enjoyed it or completely missed the point. I did enjoy Liza’s oboe (I think that’s what it’s called) game, though.

After a short sunshine break, it was time to see For Breakfast. Seven on stage, a suspended moment in time, the perfect soundtrack for a hike or a road trip to the countryside. Singer/keyboardist Maya Harrison’s voice was so smooth, it gave many people in the audience goosebumps, which was made even better with the slow dream-pop guitar riffs and the saxophone. The North Londoners provided us with a sweet mix of American Football, PJ Harvey and Wand. If this is what you like to delve into, these peeps will blow your socks off.

Such a delightful set, but the delight wasn’t over because Sans Froid (a name I refuse to pronounce any other way than the French way – suhn frwah) and they were so cool. They are doing the type of post-rock that I love hearing but don’t do it as often as I would, but I can testify that everyone was dancing and vibing. The infectious energy oozing on stage from them was refreshing and sensational.

As the weather started to chill significantly in Walthamstow, the temperature in the venue rose ever so slightly, just in time for Thee Alcoholics. I might have expected a little more from them as I’ve been dying to see them for a long time, but it was still a great show nonetheless. Not very demure, not very mindful, not very cutesy but oh so catchy and entertaining. I would definitely recommend seeing them if you’re into bands like Cassels and itoldyouiwouldeatyou.

That being said, the one band I had the highest expectations about was Sly & The Family Drone. To say that their setting made it nearly impossible to shoot would be the understatement of the century. I regretted not bringing my flashgun with me, and yet, it was phenomenal. That set was shambolic and incredibly noisy, everyone was having the time of their fucking lives with the confetti and the relentless headbanging. I wrote in my notes ‘fuuuuuuuck how amazing they were’ and I feel like this may be the most accurate description of that set.

Then came in Peach – another Bristolian band I heard nothing but great things about – and wow! Their grunge-infused post-punk was everything I wanted at this point in time. Singer Ellie is such a powerhouse, holding notes, screaming, giving it all and the rest of the band was just as heavy as well. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, and from the discussions I had later on, I wasn’t the only one. They got everybody headbanging in unison and captured the essence of what Chaos Theory is.

Brizzle Dazzle sure knows how to make people headbang like there are no rail replacement buses, but Brighton has some serious contenders under their sleeves with CLT DRP. The whole set was just a rambunctious party, full of chutzpah, full of energy and a lot of fun. It was one of those moments where it was hard to just stand there, nodding to the beat of the drums, dancing like crazy, bopping and jumping. It was electrifying and the best cardio I had in a while.

That might explain why I had to sit down when Ukaea and Aja Ireland did their respective sets, I was so tired from all of the dancing and the headbanging that I needed a break to recover my brittle heavy bones. But were they good? Yes. The Ukaea solo set was very much like The Bug whereas Aja Ireland felt more like an Indus version of Lingua Ignota. Both were very interesting acts, very compelling, but I felt like it was past my bedtime and knew I had a long way back home.

Day One was a hoot and Day Two is looking like it’s going to be even better. Stay tuned for the next episode…

CLT DRP

Peach

Sly & The Family Drone

Thee Alcoholics

Sans Froid

For Breakfast

Lia Mice

Kate Smith

Haress

Words & Photos by: Nessie Spencer