Hayley Williams swaggers on stage at London's Roundhouse, guitar in hand, and launches into a gleeful rant about her antidepressant of choice. The song, 'Mirtazapine,' a pop-punk ode to the drug that 'makes me eat' and 'makes me sleep,' quickly rouses the audience into a boisterous singalong. Her chemistry with the crowd is so potent that it’s easy to forget this is Williams’s first London gig since supporting Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour with Paramore in 2024, and her first ever European tour as a solo artist.
A Long-Awaited Solo Debut
For years, Williams had vowed never to pursue solo music. When she signed with Atlantic Records at age 14, she insisted on making music as part of a band. Now finally released from that contract, the 37-year-old’s third solo record, 'Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party,' is a grief-stricken reflection on lost loves and lost innocence. On stage, she appears to heal those wounds with soulful artistry. A daring cover of Nina Simone’s 'Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood' leaves the room in silence; a brief snippet of Erykah Badu’s 'Didn’t Cha Know' prefaces her viral hit 'Good Ol’ Days.'
Punk and R&B Intertwined
Make no mistake, Williams is still excellent at headbanging – glorious, explosive, and totally unfettered. The show’s highlights come when punk and R&B instincts intertwine: powerhouse vocal runs towards the end of the angsty 'Kill Me,' or the unhinged, megaphone-assisted screams of 'I’m in a Band!' that interrupt the subtle grooves of 'Ice in My OJ.' Throughout it all runs a theme of resistance, from the explicit anti-fascist lyrics of 'True Believer,' which critiques white nationalism in the southern US, to Williams’s refusal to let her demons defeat her.
Collective Catharsis and Humor
'It’s been really fun to play these songs and give them a life that isn’t … just depressing,' she says at one point, before letting out an outrageous cackle. The crowd responds with roaring cheers. Williams’s humor turns angsty songs into rowdy collective catharsis, proving her solo venture is a resounding success.
