Motocultor Festival across Europe 6th stop: London

There are tonnes of festivals out there, but I hardly ever hear about one taking place on the road across Europe. But, you know, anything can happen, right?

We’re talking about the Motocultor Festival. Hey, have you been? The festival, hailing from the fields of Brittany, France, has a cool “on the road” version that’s taking electrifying metal bands to 27 cities.

Co-headlining the show, we’ve got Nanowar of Steel bringing their hilarious parody of metal and the Mongolian traditional throat singing of UUHAI. Both bands are bringing along a bunch of other acts from the metal scene from all over the world, and for the London show, they had Lone Survivors from France, Morphium from Spain, and Deus Ex Machina from Singapore joining them.

Even though the Thursday evening show wasn’t sold out, it had a bit of a quiet vibe. Still, a few brave souls showed up to enjoy this mix-culture event in the dungeon of The Underworld.

Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina came all the way from Singapore and brought such an intensity that it felt like the stage was about to be obliterated before they even played their first note. For those lucky enough to be there, their set was all about raw energy and incredible musicianship. The singer, with their magnetic presence and mind-blowing vocal range, really took charge of the whole room. It was such a wild moment when the drummer actually lost a plate right in the middle of the song, but the band just kept going without missing a beat. It was that kind of beautiful, high-energy chaos you only see from a group that’s really on fire.

Photo: Peterson Marti.

Morphium

Morphium brought a totally different vibe from Spain, delivering a set that was super melodic and even gave me some nostalgic feels of 90s metalcore at times. They really embrace a softer music style, which felt a bit off compared to the stage performance with all the jumps and heavy bows, especially with the singer playing with the microphone cable like it was a noose. The sound was super catchy, but it still has that heavy edge to it. Just a quick note, I wasn’t completely sold on the performance. It felt like the sample voice was used a bit too much, almost overshadowing the singer’s voice. At times, it was tough to figure out if some of those clean notes were actually being sung or not.

Photo: Peterson Marti.

Lone Survivors

Next up were the French, Lone Survivors, who really brought some serious style to the stage. Their frontman really is like the Liam Gallagher of the genre—he’s got that magnetic presence and that “coolest guy in the room” vibe. He just hits you with his amazing vocal range and power. The band showcases some impressive riffs that really capture the movie’s themes of somewhere in outer space. Their technical and complex progressive/mathcore sound was a fantastic addition to the Motocultor event, highlighting the variety of metal genres that are still waiting to be explored.

Photo: Peterson Marti.

UUHAI

The atmosphere in The Underworld shifted the moment UUHAI stepped onto the floor. Having just released their debut album, “Human Herds“, on January 9th, the Mongolian seven-piece transformed the night into a historical revival. This isn’t just folk metal; it is a vibrant fusion of ancient and modern.

Dressed in hand-stitched Hunnu costumes, the band moved with a “galloping” energy that felt like a cavalry charge across the steppe. Between the physical vibration of the live throat singing and the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle) trading solos with electric guitars, the sound hit like a wall of noise. The crowd joined in the “Uuhai!” battle cries like a spiritual mantra. Despite the tiny stage barely containing all seven members, their performance was magical and left the room speechless.

Photo: Peterson Marti.

Nanowar of Steel

1. Nanowar
2. Tooth Fairy
3. Stormwarrior of the Storm
4. Pasadena 1994
5. Disco Metal
6. Genghis Khan (The Genghis Khan Song to End All Genghis Khan Songs)
7. Il cacciatore della notte
8. HelloWorld.java
9. Norwegian Reggaeton
10. Brave Margot (Georges Brassens cover)
11. Feet & Greet
12. Armpits of Immortals
13. Valhalleluja

I honestly don’t know what to say—I was laughing so hard I ended up in tears. If you’ve seen Nanowar of Steel before, you know the drill; if you haven’t, it’s something you have to experience to believe. Their set involved an IKEA table on stage, a guy in a barn owl costume jumping into the crowd, wigs, and a non-stop barrage of jokes.

Their setlist is a brilliant mix of parodies—skewering everyone from Manowar to Sabaton. Highlights included the reggaeton-meets-black-metal madness of “Norwegian Reggaeton” and the crowd-led chanting of “Barbagianni” during “Il cacciatore della notte.” Beneath the hilarity and the absurd lyrics, the musicianship of these Italians is genuinely top-tier. To mix such incompatible genres so seamlessly is a massive challenge, yet they make it look easy. They closed the night by literally assembling an IKEA table on stage during “Valhalleluja.”

The evening was a wild, unique mix of bands that, despite their differences, came together perfectly for this “on the road” edition.

Photo: Peterson Marti.