By the time Ice Nine Kills stalked onto the stage at Wembley Arena, it felt less like the final night of a tour and more like the closing scene of a very expensive, very unhinged horror franchise. The last stop of The A Work Of Art Tour had all the tension and triumph you’d want from a band that’s turned theatrical excess into a mission statement, and somehow, they still managed to top themselves.
Before the blood hit the curtains, Creeper took the stage and delivered what can only be described as a full-on gothic conversion ritual. Armed with swagger, hooks sharp enough to draw blood, and a frontman who knows exactly how to command a room, Creeper felt tailor-made for this crowd. Songs landed hard, choruses echoed back louder than expected, and by the end of the set, it was obvious: they didn’t just warm the room up, they won it over. Judging by the merch queues and the buzz in the pit afterwards, Creeper have absolutely walked away from this tour with a whole army of new fans in tow.
Unfortunately, thanks to the uniquely British horror show that is cancelled trains, I missed the earlier sets from TX2 and The Devil Wears Prada. From the chatter around me, though, both bands brought the chaos and deserved a far better commute situation than the one I (and many others) were dealt. Consider this a formal apology to my rail replacement bus.
Ice Nine Kills, though, were untouchable. Their set was a perfectly paced slasher flick: brutal, tongue-in-cheek, and absurdly polished. From the moment the curtain dropped, the band leaned hard into their cinematic universe – costumes, choreography, fake blood, and razor-tight musicianship all colliding into something that felt bigger than a standard arena show. Spencer Charnas stalked the stage like a villain who knows he’s the main character, while the band behind him delivered every breakdown and sing-along with lethal precision.
The night’s most surreal moment came when horror royalty herself, scream actress Rose McGowan, emerged onstage only to be theatrically “murdered” by Art the Clown in a moment that sent the arena into gleeful disbelief. During that same song, Creeper’s Hannah Greenwood joined the band onstage, delivering a stunning guest vocal that cut through the chaos and added an unexpected, goosebump-inducing layer to the spectacle. It was ridiculous. It was iconic. It was pure Ice Nine Kills: fan service dialled up to eleven with a wink and a grin.
As if one night of carnage wasn’t enough, the band rolled straight into hosting their two-day Silver Scream Con immediately after the show. Equal parts horror convention, fan celebration, and love letter to the scene they’ve built, it cemented the idea that Ice Nine Kills aren’t just touring, they’re world-building.
Wembley Arena marked the end of A Work Of Art, but it didn’t feel like a finale. It felt like a victory lap. Ice Nine Kills have never sounded bigger, bolder, or more in control of their own bloody narrative, and if this tour proved anything, it’s that the cult is only getting louder.
Review By Rebecca Bush
Photo C/O Salma Bustos – https://www.instagram.com/salmabustos/
