THE WARNING @ BRIXTON ACADEMY| LONDON| 17TH APRIL 2025

James Nash
Apr 20, 2025
3 min read

Written by James Nash

The Warning. Three-sisters from Monterrey. On the cusp of becoming one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century.

The Warning just tentpolled a major milestone in their career, selling out the legendary Brixton Academy. Ryoko Media caught The Warning for the first time at Kent’s Maid of Stone Festival in July 2024, and the shift in their stage presence over the space of just nine months is mind blowing.

The three sisters - Dany, Paulina, and Alejandra, hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, first gained widespread notice for their YouTube covers in 2014. Their rendition of Metallica's Enter Sandman, exploded among rock fans, earning more than 26 million views (and the attention of guitarist Kirk Hammett) which later saw a version featured on The Metallica Blacklist album. Since then the band have supported the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Halestorm, and Muse, with TV appearances on Jimmy Kimmel and MTV. The Warning’s fourth studio album Keep Me Fed, was released in the summer of 2024 with a sold-out headline European tour.

Their sold-out stop at Brixton Academy, marked the band’s biggest headline show outside of Mexico, to-date.

British guitarist Sophie Lloyd, who also gained international recognition on YouTube, opened the night with her solo project, fronted for the evening by Marisa Rodriguez (Marisa And The Moths). Anyone who takes to the stage in a pair of sunglasses and plays the Top Gun theme tune is pretty cool in my books. Getting straight to it, Sophie Lloyd shredded her way into the night with Battleground, before bringing out Rodriguez to lead five songs from her album Imposter Syndrome (2024). From electrifying licks to EVH style whammy bar trickery, Lloyd delivered a night of hair raising rock n roll that felt for a moment as if we were on the Sunset Strip.

It was clear tonight's main event was going to be momentous. Not only could we feel this in the air as the anticipation built, but especially where we were sat, surrounded by the buzzing production team and special guests Yungblud and Nova Twins.

The Warning opened with track one, Six Feet Deep, to an eruptive crowd. Donning their red outfits, the sisters served up a performance that demonstrated even though they are young, they are more than mighty. With 20 songs marked on the setlist, they without a doubt graft. Powering through hit after hit from their latest full-length, including S!CK and Apologize, the sisters gave Dany Villarreal the stage after five songs, shining a spotlight on her impressive guitar talents. With the gain dialed down, this was a rare opportunity to see Dany in her element, away from all the production, and a glimpse into her inspirations, from classical music to pop.

Bringing the band back for CHOKE, from their 2022 record ERROR, the trio left no time in raising the levels, with their thundering drums, gritty distortion and soaring vocals. A tracked Intro 404 gave the band time to catch a moment before powering into the final four songs. At this point in the night the crowd are at their best. Encouraging audience participation during DISCIPLE, the lyrics “Oh, oh, I've been waiting, Oh, Disciple in the making” continued to be chanted way after the song had finished and lights down. This understandably left the band speechless. Their previous stop in the capital was at O2 Forum Kentish Town in April 2024, a venue half the size of Brixton Academy.

As fans of The Warning, we left the gig beaming, having witnessed a night that will forever be remembered by everyone in the room. Please do yourself a favour, never pass up the opportunity to see The Warning live, especially before they are selling out stadiums, which I imagine is just on the horizon.

Setlist: