Ladies and gentlemen, Foo Fighters!

Sunday 22^nd February 2026. There I was, full of brunch and a hangover, mooching through North London's premier vinyl shop – Essex Road's Flashback Records. However, I was soon greeted by a social media clarion call. Foo Fighters had just announced three intimate shows in the UK and Ireland (Dublin's The Academy, London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire  and Manchester's O2 Ritz). The instructions were simple: come to the respective, queue in person and you may have the chance to buy a ticket if you are early enough; tickets go on sale at midday. Naturally, I misread these instructions, despite their demonstrable simplicity, and thought the tickets would go on sale on the day of the show. With the London show booked for the upcoming Wednesday and my corporate hamster wheel job preventing me from dipping out to queue for concert tickets during the working day, I chalked this one up as a disappointment and carried on my business.

Upon a reread approximately an hour later, I realised my folly. Today was the day. With that, I began my race from Angel to Shepherd's Bush. It was hardly Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but I employed a Lime bike, Northern Line and Circle line, as well as my own humble foot to rip across London. Tickets had already been on sale for some time, so I was paranoid my journey would be in vain. Each leg of the journey seemed to take an age, each tube stop painstakingly slow. My run down the stairs at Shepherd's Bush Market was apprehended by dawdlers. However, I made it in under an hour, fearful that I had missed my opportunity.

Thankfully, I made it. Number 310 in the queue in fact. For a 2000 capacity venue, I had done quite well considering my earlier worries. It took around 30 minutes to buy my tickets, with the queue a slow-moving thing, but I was full of beans as I skipped away with my tickets. Spirits were high, although many of us had arrived at the queue breathless and sweaty from their various voyages across London.

I must say, despite the stress I experienced (I need to get some perspective, I know) this was a far more interesting ticket buying experience than my last few run-ins with ticketing monolith Ticketmaster. This was a throwback of sorts and certainly added to my excitement for the gig.

Venue

This was my third visit to the O2 Empire, having been previously to see KT Tunstall and the live show of a podcast I'm too ashamed to admit that I attended (we all change).

Entering the venue was a bit of an epic in of itself. As the tickets had been bought in-person and identification had to be logged for you to be able to buy your ticket from the box office, the venue was employing a policy that you could only collect your wristband to enter if you were in possession of your receipt and ID. This meant that at the front of a sprawling queue across the streets of Shepherd's Bush was a man holding a laptop, ticking people off and giving them their tickets. It wasn’t quite chaos, but it was teetering on the precipice of a chaotic fall. If this chap had dropped his laptop or had it stolen, then the whole thing would have come crashing down. Luckily, to my knowledge, neither eventuality occurred.

Once inside I was blown away again by just how small this venue was, and the fact we were about to see one of the biggest stadium bands in the world in there. Excitement was reaching fever pitch.

It's a well designed space, the O2 Empire. The floor space is flanked by two bars, with another directly opposite the stage too, so if you are standing you have your pick of three bars. The toilets are nestled in one corner, but as the place is small they are hardly a trek. There are also three tiers of seating and while I have not sat up there, I believe you get a good view wherever you are. The ceiling, much like many of these venues, is adorned with decorations.

Historically, the O2 Empire has been used by larger acts for secret gigs or warm up shows for larger tours. On this occasion, I can understand why.

The crowd

As you can imagine, the vast majority of the crowd were fantastic. Everyone was buzzing and excited by the prospect of this unique show and the mood was good.

There was a large argument behind us, with people stood on the stairs down to the floor angry with one another for obstructing their view. The stewards did a good job of calming the situation down, but it did make me wonder what some people expect when they go to a gig and buy a standing ticket – there is a fairly good chance that someone taller than you is going to stand in your way at some point. I understand it's annoying, particularly for the shorter people in society, but ultimately… what did you expect?

Foo Fighters

This is one of the bands who probably need no introduction. Spawned from the mind of ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after Kurt Cobain's tragic suicide and the Nirvana's disbanding as a result, Foo Fighters have been operating for over 30 years. Their first album, aptly titled Foo Fighters, was recorded in its entirety by Grohl playing all the instruments. To support the album, he hired a band who have gone through many guises and several lineup changes, but now find themselves as one of rock and mainstream music's biggest names. With a stadium rock sound, uplifting lyrics and catchy choruses, Foo Fighters have wormed their way into the public consciousness.

It has been the subject of much discourse, but Grohl's career has been nothing short of remarkable. From starting out as a teenager in one of his favourite American punk rock bands Scream, to being the drummer of one of the most influential rock bands of all time in Nirvana, to founding his own iconic band, to forming a supergroup with legends Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones. With a plethora of side projects, guest appearances and notable public outings along the way, Grohl is truly a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. Earning himself the moniker of 'nicest guy in rock', his reputation as both a musician and person have preceded him. That label has taken a hit over the last two years, with a public blasting of Taylor Swift (I was at the London Stadium show when he made the comments which garnered the laughs and gasps of thousands of people) and an extramarital affair in quick succession. However, within the last six months, Grohl has slowly been rebuilding his image and is back on the rock horse. A new album is on the way, and Grohl and his gang are ready to go.

This was my third time seeing Foo Fighters. First was at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2011, when Foos were touring their Wasting Light album, their best album. The show was amazing and blew my 14 year old mind. My second viewing was at the London Stadium in 2024, for the Everything or Nothing tour. This was the scene of Grohl's takedown of Taylor Swift and a guest appearance by Shane Hawkins, the son of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who had died in 2022. It was a wonderful night of nearly three hours of stomping rock. But now, a change of pace. This was Shepherd's Bush in 2026. A tiny venue with for a huge band – what would it be like?

Scheduled to start at 8.30pm, the band didn’t come on stage until nearly 9pm, which just built the anticipation and excitement even more. People were chanting and singing the vocal run from Best of You repeatedly, as though this would drag the band out faster, like a siren call. Finally, the Foos appeared on stage. Grohl called us all to attention, goading the crowd to get louder and louder. Ripping into This Is A Call, the band sounded tight and aggressive. Following was usual opener, All My Life. The chaos truly kicked in. The standing area swelled like a choppy sea, a large pit opening like a whirlpool. Men, women and children were pulled in to the surging mess. The atmosphere was electric.

The chaos relented for Times Like These. The iconic anthem, which was covered by an all star lineup for a charity single during the Covid-19 pandemic, will never cease to give any listener goosebumps. Following Times Like These was Of All People, an unreleased single from the impending new album Your Favorite Toy. This was naturally my first listen to this song and it sounded big, with a lot of promise. Since Wasting Light, Foo Fighters' offerings have sadly been middling. The album which followed Hawkins' death, But Here We Are, was a return to form, but the several preceding it were not up to scratch in my view. Hopefully the upcoming Your Favorite Toy will follow the form of But Here We Are. Of All People is a promising teaser.

From therein, it was nothing but classics until My Favorite Toy. Particular highlights included Stacked Actors (which sounds very Smells Like Teen Spirit adjacent live), the Wasting Light representatives of These Days and Walk, and Learn to Fly. We even had some deep cuts along the way, with La Dee Da and A320 (a song which until it was played in a church in Dingle, Ireland over the preceding weekend had not been played live for over two decades) padding out the set. During Monkey Wrench, Grohl channelled his inner Wet Leg, making the crowd all scream in unison to be as loud as possible. If one's ears weren't ringing before, they certainly were now. Everyone dutifully obliged, meaning the O2 Empire sounded like a bag of cats drowning. A charming image.

This was a sweaty, bouncy, moshy experience. There may have been some more relaxed moments, such as Aurora and These Days, but these were kicked into the rearview mirror quickly by the likes of Monkey Wrench, My Hero and White Limo. White Limo is possibly the most fun song Foos play live. A screeching, screaming, thrashy number which slams into your eardrums right the way down into your chest. Grohl's screaming and distorted vocals are a strange mix of funny and impressive.

The energy from the band and particularly Grohl made you feel as though you could keep the party going long into the small hours. He is a remarkable showman, bringing anecdotes, humour and a lot of swearing to proceedings. I think part of his appeal is that he still comes across as an everyman, despite the fact he was in one of the most influential bands ever and has been a world famous rockstar for over 20 years. He speaks to the crowd as equals and while he is always appreciative, he never seems patronising or gushing. Despite living in a mansion in Virginia with his own recording studio, he still somehow comes across a normal person. I recognise that I am taking a parasocial view on a man I have never spoken to, let alone met, but I do not think it is a fluke that he has resonated with so many people over so many years. He remarked on several occasions how much fun he was having and ultimately, I believe him. The rush he gets from playing live rubs off on the band and the crowd, creating a beautiful synergy which makes Foos crowds some of the best on the planet.

On the subject of the crowd, there was one crowd member in particular who blew my mind. A boy of around 13 was right in the mixer. Each mosh pit, he'd be in there. And he was tiny. I'm not sure he could have seen the stage at any point – we called the 'wee man'. When the main show finished and Foos returned for their encore, Grohl stated his gratitude for the fans who had been around for the 30 years the band have been around, but also said a few words for the new fans. At this point, the Wee Man was held aloft directly in front of Grohl, who was a mix of stunned and amused by this tiny human who had clearly been in the engine room for two hours of rock n roll chaos. With that, Grohl invited the Wee Man to watch the encores from the side of the stage and he duly obliged. It was a fantastic moment, and one of the highlights of the show. As ever, the show closed with megahit Everlong. A masterful, spinning love song with so much energy it punches you in the face, it really is the perfect closer to such a blast of a set. I don’t think any Foo Fighters fans will get tired of it. Indeed, the song has been played live by Foos well over 1,000 times. Some mileage out of the old ditty.

Distortion tore through the speakers as the band linked together to give a bow (along with the Wee Man), the crowd went totally wild. It had been a strange experience, seeing a goliath act in a venue too small for even David. Grohl had remarked earlier in the show that a venue like this took him back to the early days. I was left pondering what these artists prefer. Having full stadiums and festival grounds singing your words back to you must be one of the best feelings in the world – but a small, dedicated army who would go into battle for you crammed into a tiny building, breathing the very same sweaty, musty air must be a pretty close second, or even tied.

As is the case for a band with such a prolific catalogue, this set did leave me wanting more. You may be able to tell from this article that my affection for Wasting Light peaks at somewhere around the infatuation point, so I naturally crave more Wasting Light live. Any of Bridge Burning, Rope, Arlandria or even the lesser-appreciated Back and Forth would have gone down a treat here. There wasn’t a single song from But Here We Are, their mournful juggernaut. There was also no place for Breakout, Big Me, Shame Shame or I'll Stick Around. Their catalogue is wide and bloated; picking a setlist must be a nightmare.

Upon exiting the venue, I began my long trek back to north London, ears ringing and knees sore (I'm getting old). It was a surreal feeling, to have seen this monolith in this miniscule venue. I was and am so glad I raced to Shepherd's Bush the previous Sunday and nabbed some tickets. Opportunities like this do not come around often, and it's important to jump on them when they do.