LIVE REVIEW: SKYND Bring House Of Horrors To Utrecht

Ever since we first witnessed the chilling spectacle of SKYND opening for Babymetal at Poppodium 013 years ago, we’ve been hooked. We have followed the Australian industrial outfit through every evolution, every dark chapter, and every Dutch performance since. From their support slots for Ice Nine Kills to their steady climb through the club circuit, last night marked a significant milestone: their third, and largest, headliner show in the country, taking over Utrecht’s TivoliVredenburg Pandora room!

Since that debut, the audience SKYND attract has grown with a healthy, organic momentum. It’s not an overnight explosion, but rather a deliberate expansion of a cult-like fanbase that is as visible in the venue as it is in the band’s soaring streaming numbers. Even though 2026 is only a quarter of the way through, the trio has already unleashed three new singles that have dominated their top tracks, with Andrei Chikatilo currently sitting at the throne. With a fresh arsenal of music and a “hot minute” since their last visit, the timing for this European trek couldn’t have been better.

True to their established form, a SKYND show features no openers. The Pandora room at TivoliVredenburg was more or less packed to the rafters, with the balconies fully occupied by fans. The atmosphere was appropriately eerie as the crowd waited for the lights to dim for the first and final time. What followed was a massive setlist that spanned nearly the entire discography, while also offering a glimpse into unreleased material, a tradition they’ve kept alive since their very first headline run.

Donned in their iconic, unsettling attire, the guitarist and drummer took their places before the frontwoman herself emerged to a roar of jubilation. Launching straight into the 2021 track, Michelle Carter, it was instantly clear that this wasn’t just a casual crowd. The first few rows were clinging to every movement, screaming back every word of the dark, meticulously crafted lyrics.

A SKYND show is, by design, a unique experience. We aren’t here for “unicorns and rainbows”; each song serves a grim purpose: to educate the listener on the harrowing details of true crimes from the past and present. It remains a fascinating juxtaposition to see rows of fans dancing and singing along to such nauseating subject matter. As always, the band maintained their strict policy of no stage banter, keeping the mystique entirely intact. We still have no clue who the musicians behind the masks are, and that anonymity works wonders for the immersion.

However, we did notice a subtle shift in performance tonight. While never breaking character, the frontwoman offered the front row a bit more direct attention and engagement. It’s a sign that the band has refined their crowd interaction, learning how to work an audience without peeling back the shroud of mystery that makes the project so compelling.

While the band has traditionally relied on EPs and standalone singles, the arrival of Andrei Chikatilo and Tamara Samsonova suggests a larger body of work might finally be on the horizon. Perhaps an album? At least a new EP. Musically, they were as sharp as ever. The live vocals were stellar, and the signature vocal processing, a staple of the SKYND sound, added that essential, unsettling layer to the performance.

One of the perks of not having a full-length album yet is that the setlist is incredibly generous. Almost every track in their history made the cut, with only the heartbreaking Chris Watts, the grisly Violets are Blue, which covers the infamous murder and dismemberment of Chinese student Jun Lin by Luka Magnotta and lastly Katherine Knight absent from the night. Everything else, from Tyler Hadley to the haunting Columbine and the high-energy Jim Jones, was delivered with precision.

SKYND have carved out a very specific, successful niche. With the sheer catchiness of their 2026 releases, I expect the next Dutch show to be even larger than this one. It feels like they are truly just getting started, and unfortunately for the world, but fortunately for the band’s inspiration, humanity has committed enough atrocities to keep them singing for decades to come.

Check out the haunting display in the gallery below and make sure to catch SKYND on the road for a truly one-of-a-kind experience.