Live Review: A Burial at Sea at The Lexington, London (20/09/25)

I don’t go to many shows at The Lexington in London. In fact, I think this might have been the first time I had ever been there to see a band play live. What an adventure! Especially as the band I was seeing live define what adventurous music means. It was A Burial at Sea, and once again, they delivered a show with feeling.

I am a huge fan of this band. Not quite as big a fan as my wife, but damn it, if I don’t fall in love with them repeatedly, every time I see them play. The last time was May 2024 Downstairs at the Dome, where the crowd was a source of frustration (read that review here), but the band still delivered a mesmerising experience. At the end of that review, I said:

Hopefully, next time I see them perform, it will be amongst others who actually give a damn about them.

Guess what? The silence that falls over the crowd as A Burial at Sea emerge in understated fashion, spoke volumes. Before a single note is played, they have everyone’s attention, and the connection only deepens as the show goes on.

For the uninitiated, A Burial at Sea can be summed up as a post-rock band with progressive depth and wandering levels of atmosphere. However, the bigger picture combines elements of shoegaze, post, math-metal, jazz, and brass. Utilising multiple guitars, a thick style of percussion, and making a trumpet an integral part of the experience.

Their latest album ‘Close to Home’ was released in February 2024, where I summed it up as (read the full review here):

The kind of album that changes minds, creates fans, and makes this band even bigger.

So, it is an absolute joy to hear the setlist draw so heavily from it. Songs like tor head, masterfred, NEW old, and Hy-Brasil sound immense, and The Lexington really allows the detail to come through so cleanly. Getting to experience the melodies and harmonies live and hearing them clearly is such a treat. In the case of the latter track, for example, hearing the nuance is so important as it is all about its jazzy infusions.

When it’s time to get loud and fast, the Lexington doesn’t disappoint and A Burial at Sea throw their all into things too. They’re not an active band on stage, nor are they talkers, but they lock in hard and connect to their audience on a more spiritual level.

Case in point – Lightning Blanket. What a moment and one of my favourite songs performed live this year, full stop.

Thanks to a much better crowd, this show was everything I wanted, and then some, from a band I genuinely do think is brilliant. Both on record, and live. If you’ve not had the chance to experience A Burial at Sea live yet, find a way to change that soon. You will not forget it.