Live Review: Harpy at The Oslo, London (01/12/25)

Hail Harpy.

The alternative rockstar is taking over and there isn’t a thing anyone can do to stop her. Though why anyone would want to, is another thing completely. It is celebration time and The Oslo, a very hip venue in gentrified Hackney, is packed out with those looking to party with Harpy. Even if it is a cold, wet, and miserable Monday in the capital.

No bother though, Harpy is here to warm things up with a set focused on her new release, the ‘VII’ EP. Her most ambitious release yet, it is a seven-part exploration of vice, desire, and the beautiful chaos of being human.

The entire EP gets aired at this release celebration show and that means I get to enjoy some of my favourite Harpy tracks, but before I get into the songs, let me talk about Harpy and how she presents herself on the stage.

The word that comes to mind is ‘performer’ and with that, we get an unforgettable visual experience that is as important as the sonic one. Harpy is an artist and part of her art comes from how she acts on stage. It’s a theatrical treat, filled with salacious flair, sexiness, power, vulnerability, and danger. Harpy oozes confidence and controls a willing crowd with ease. She is our ‘goth metal mommy’ and we are her children, a bunch of reprobates with one thing in common – Harpy.

It’s so impressive and I am convinced that the music could have been terrible and I’d still have come away impressed, such is the energy, show-woman-ship, and dramatics of Harpy. Trust me, once you’ve seen Harpy, you won’t forget her. The devil comes in many different forms, eh?

You might have thought you saw Satan materialise at certain points during the show, such is the sinful nature of some of these tracks. Remember ‘VII’ is Harpy’s personal take on the seven deadly sins with each track embodying one of Harpy’s own transgressions: Pride. Greed. Lust. Envy. Gluttony. Wrath. Sloth.

I stand by my review (read it here) but live, some of these tracks have even more potency. Not only sounding darker, more twisted, and more emotional, but sounding heavier too. It’s a loud one (I hope you wore ear protection – that bass was harsh), but damn it if the likes of Inferno, Last Time, Call Me Mommy, and Torture don’t slay. The first half of the set is the strongest in my opinion, even if Not My God Anymore is, arguably, the highlight of the show with Harpy’s raw screams at the end sounding even more intense here.

The whole set has an intensity though, and I think that comes from how important this seems to be for Harpy. She says as such several times, but the overriding feeling that we’re witnessing something game-changing is hanging in the air. I was left with no doubt in my mind that the next time I see Harpy live, it’s going to be in much bigger venues and with much bigger crowds.

Hail Harpy, indeed.