I Prevail Kick Off UK Tour with a Ferocious Night of Mosh Pits & Crowd Surfing at Leeds O2 Academy [Photos]

It is a Saturday night in Leeds at the O2 Academy for the start of The Violent Nature 2026 tour, and this couldn’t have been more of a stacked lineup, with Australian sensations Polaris and Gore. to support the one and only I Prevail. When I arrived at the venue, with twenty minutes until Gore.’s set began, the place was absolutely packed and difficult to move around, but we eventually made our way around to the main pit entrance for the opening tour performance.

This is my first time seeing Gore. live, and I was shocked and amazed by the incredible vocal performance of Haley Roughton when she can go from 0% slow melody flows to 100% hard-hitting metal solos each second, switching back and forth like it’s nothing. Leeds turned out in force to support them, which is not usually the case on many tours, and the band dedicated their 35-minute set to setting the tone for the evening. They gave fans new music to enjoy, like “Lead Me to the Slaughter” and “Crucified” off their new album Then You Cannot Love Me, dropping in October.

Next up we had the much anticipated Polaris, who I believe stole the show on the first night, opening up with their set list with “Dissipate.” When the band came out and began playing one of their most iconic tracks, this Leeds crowd didn’t mess around and understood the brief straight away. With endless mosh pits and crowd surfing, this was the most electric part of the tour. I think this is gonna be a special tour for the band; with their recent blow-up in audience and fanbase, I’m sure it won’t be long before we see them headlining or dropping their own headliner tour soon.

And finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for, I Prevail took to the stage and showcased why they are the headliner of this tour, setting the tone right for the rest of the tour. Their set list began with “NWO” to kick things off, and out of nowhere, whilst in the pit, everything descended into chaos when the band began to play one of their fan favourite songs – “Bow Down!” Mosh pits galore and crowd surfing, the perfect description of an I Prevail show.

It felt strange sometimes not having former singer Brian Burkheiser, but as I’ve seen the band go in a different direction, I’m all for the new music and new style they’re going for. This Leeds crowd really set the tone and the bar high with this tour, being one of the most packed-out crowds I’ve seen at the Leeds venue. As this is night one, if you get the chance to go to any of the other shows across Europe, this is a tour you should not sleep on if you are ready for pure rage and chaos across all three bands.

I Prevail Setlist:

1. NWO
2. Bow Down
3. Self Destruction
4. There’s Fear in Letting Go
5. Violent Nature
6. Body Bag
7. Paradise
8. Into Hell
9. Bad Things
10. Sad but True
11. Rain
12. God