Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow returned this year for their first UK headline tour in a decade, stopping off at Metronome to bring cheerful intimacy on a dark autumn night...
Visiting the Metronome is always an exciting occasion and the 400 cap venue has a reputation for delivering intimate and punchy performances. Now, I’ve not seen Bow Wow Wow since the 1980’s and I’m wondering how they are going to fit in with the modern music scene, but first it’s time to see the excellent Baby Seals.
The Baby Seals give and take no bs. The female trio on drums, bass, guitar and vocals hit the stage with a raw energy that reminded me of The Slits: feminist punk/garage sounds, tight riffs, gritty and thunderous bass lines all anchored down with ultra efficient drum beats. These girls can really play and they provided an infectious set that warmed the crowd. This is the last time The Baby Seals will support Bow Wow Wow and that must be a sign of better days for the girls. Miss them and you’ll miss out!
Bow Wow Wow consist of some seriously good musicians supporting the only original member, English-Burmese singer Annabella Lwin. The performance leaned into the band’s heritage and delivered their greatest hits including C·30 C·60 C·90 Go, Go Wild In The Country and I Want Candy.
Annabella still possesses a great vocal range that defies her age (I won’t reveal the number). Congrats also to the sound crew on delivering a vibe that was close to the original Bow Wow Wow sounds, kind of tribal drumming, world music influenced bass lines and guitar riffs that drift from surfy to almost rockabilly.
The set was a masterclass in recreating the early 80’s new wave experimental genre and it also felt almost like an intimate jazz performance at times. Everybody danced, everybody cheered and Annabella’s T-shirt shouted out "Be Kind" - the perfect message for the night.
This was a strong performance by Bow Wow Wow. Energetic and intimate is not an easy mix but for anyone who loves the new wave/punk crossover, this was a must see event.
Bow Wow Wow performed at Metronome on 2nd November 2025, with support from The Baby Seals.
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