Live Review: A New Era for Three Days Grace – O2 Academy Brixton

Photos & Review by Damien Harvey

I walked into the O2 Academy Brixton, London, on 13 December, knowing I was about to witness something genuinely historic for Three Days Grace. After a decade-long absence, Adam Gontier’s return in 2024 marked a new chapter for the band, this time as co-frontman alongside Matt Walst. This tour is the first time the two have shared the stage together, and any doubts about rivalry or creative tension were immediately put to rest. What stood out most was the chemistry of the two distinct voices complementing each other rather than competing, creating a vocal dynamic few would have expected but many will remember.

The tour supports their latest album, Aliennation, and the setlist struck an effective balance between new material and legacy tracks spanning the band’s entire catalogue. Long-time fans and newer listeners alike were treated to a carefully curated mix that never felt disjointed.

As smoke filled the venue and anticipation built, the lights dropped and the screen flashed the words, “Here we go, here we fucking go.” In that moment, it felt like a statement of intent. This was not a nostalgia act; this was a new era of Three Days Grace.

They launched straight into Dominate from the new record, setting an aggressive tone and drawing huge cheers from the crowd. When Animal I Have Become followed immediately after, the atmosphere shifted into overdrive, and that was when the night truly took off.

Midway through the set, Adam addressed the audience and briefly reflected on the band’s history. While most long-time fans are well aware of the journey. With Adam’s departure in 2013 and Matt stepping in, the context felt aimed at newer fans. There was a period when some felt the band was never quite the same, but standing in Brixton that night, it was clear that having both vocalists together has not only restored balance but also elevated the band to something stronger than before.

Matt Walst leaned comfortably into the role of hypeman throughout the night, repeatedly directing the crowd to chant “Three Days Grace”, keeping energy levels high and reinforcing the unity between band and audience. The five-piece lineup felt tight, confident, and fully aligned.

The setlist showcased the band at their most versatile, from the raw aggression of Painkiller and Riot to the emotional weight of Never Too Late. A surprising but well-received Radiohead cover of Creep added a reflective pause before the final surge of energy.

By the time Riot closed the show, the crowd was exhausted, hoarse, and completely satisfied. This was not just a reunion for frontman Adam Gontier; it was a reinvention of the band Three Days Grace, and they are no longer defined by what they were but by what they are now.

Setlist:

• Dominate
• Animal I Have Become
• So-Called Life
• Break
• Home
• The Mountain
• Mayday
• Pain
• Kill Me Fast
• I Hate Everything About You
• Time of Dying
• Apologies
• Creep (Radiohead cover)
• Don’t Want to Go Home Tonight
• I Am Machine
• The Good Life
• Painkiller
• Never Too Late
• Riot

Three Days Grace at Brixton proved one thing beyond doubt: that this new era is not only real, but it is working as it is.