THE BLACK KEYS BRING PEACHES! TO ICONIC O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

LIVE REVIEW | THE BLACK KEYS | O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON, LONDON | 1st September 2026 by Charlie Wright

Across their 20-year career, there isn’t much that The Black Keys haven’t achieved. It’s no exaggeration to say that the 2010s were soundtracked by this Ohio band, and their overflowing trophy cabinet will quell any doubters. Their long-awaited explosion came with the critically acclaimed Brothers, which led them to conquer the world, which they followed up with El Camino and Turn Blue, two more award-winning records, before going on hiatus.

The duo returned in 2019 with renewed energy and haven’t stopped since, releasing six albums. Two of which have been stellar cover albums, where the band finds themselves paying homage to their roots. And the latter, Peaches!, is what brings The Black Keys back to London. It’s a city they have revisited on numerous occasions since returning, likely to make up for lost time after cancelling enormous shows in 2015 due to injury. In fact, last time they hit the iconic O2 Academy Brixton two years ago, they brought out Noel Gallagher.

Back and better than ever, this time O2 Academy Brixton was going to be their studio for the night. Aside from the gigantic ‘The Black Keys’ sign, the set design was incredibly understated. The same goes for the venue choice, picking somewhere large that still feels somewhat intimate.

All of this felt perfect for Peaches!, allowing us to feel like we were part of a jamming session. This was reinforced as soon as they kicked off, playing ‘Thickfreakness’, ‘The Breaks’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Man’ altogether.

Following this, Auberbach and Carney powered through hits from their two-decade heritage, weaving the immediacy of ‘Fever’ and ‘Wild Child’ with the sprawling ‘Weight Of Love’ and ‘Little Black Submarines’. There was also enough here across a jam-packed twenty-strong setlist to please fans new and old, with fan favourites ‘Tighten Up’ and ‘Howlin’ For You’ still feeling as energetic as they did when they were first released.

However, what was particularly special was how every cover felt right at home alongside original material. The spin the band put on each track made it sound entirely original in itself, which was the aim of Peaches! from the outset. There’s something about the rocket fuel they’ve injected into these tracks which makes them feel this fresh.

Finishing the evening with ‘Lonely Boy’, The Black Keys left their mark on London once again, leaving those in the capital wanting even more. We’re sure the band will be back very soon.

Gallery

Setlist:

1. Thickfreakness / The Breaks / I’ll Be Your Man
2. I Got Mine
3. Fever
4. Gold On The Ceiling
5. Have Love Will Travel (Cover)
6. Just Couldn’t Tie Me Down
7. Everlasting Light
8. Next Girl
9. Lo/Hi
10. Tighten Up
11. You Got To Lose
12. Weight Of Love
13. Howlin’ For You
14. Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire (Cover)
15. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Cover)
16. Wild Child
17. She Does It Right (Cover)
18. She’s Long Gone
19. Little Black Submarines
20. Lonely Boy

The Black Keys will continue their tour across Europe this month, before heading back “home” for a final US run in October. Full details and tickets can be found here.