Live review

Ethel Cain exudes gothic greatness at Manchester Apollo headline show

3rd October 2025

The cult star’s return to UK soil offers all-encompassing atmosphere and a spectacular live experience.

Words: Ben Tipple
Photos: Abi Chilton
6th October 2025

Hayden Anhedönia’s rise to cult-stardom as her semi-autobiographical gothic counterpart Ethel Cain has spurred a rightful leap from small rooms to two sold-out nights at Manchester’s Apollo, the first shows in a run that will see the twisted creative force take on four nights in London before her first outdoor UK headline shows in 2026.

It’s perhaps an unexpected rise for an artist whose immediate aesthetic mirrors that of Mary Shelley or the Salem Witch Trials, and whose recent repertoire includes a 90-minute near drone opus. Yet her fictional tale of a love’s rapid downward spiral, set against a dark Southern backdrop of religion and a decrepit America, has amassed a fittingly devout following, not least in the wake of stunning sophomore full-length ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ - a record whose ominous blend of tense instrumentals and eerie melodies offer the firm foundations for a spectacular live experience.

In quality alone, it’s a vast step forward from her early days, flanked as she is by a full band (comprising some members of tonight’s opener, Nine) and backlit by a light production that's as much part of the performance as Ethel herself. An askew cross acts as the stage's centrepiece, to which Ethel is affixed for much of the performance (save for an energetic burst to the front of the stage for a triumphant, high-stakes encore of ‘A House In Nebraska’, early single ‘Crush’, and breakthrough ‘American Teenager’). Otherwise, a sombre haze dominates the show, transforming the venue into a church of her own, a carefully crafted setting for a setlist predominantly comprising tracks from both of this year’s full-length offerings.

The stage is met by transfixed silence from the audience, as we take a largely unbroken macabre journey through Ethel’s world. Its most affecting moments are saved for ‘Perverts’ cuts ‘Vacillator’ and ‘Onanist’, alongside fan-favourite ‘Dust Bowl’, which comes complete with dense strobes and crashing cymbals as powerful as they are otherworldly. The softer moments, particularly new album highlight ‘Waco, Texas’, wash the space in a palpable melancholy, while the synth-laden ‘Fuck Me Eyes’ offers a comparably upbeat reprise from the heavy claustrophobia, in keeping with tonight’s all-encompassing atmosphere.

This remains Ethel’s world, but it’s Hayden’s voice that now rings loudest, gliding effortlessly through the haunting ‘Nettles’ or the stunningly sprawling 10-minute epic, ‘Tempest’. A vast improvement from her previous UK run, tonight further anoints Ethel Cain as the goddess of gothic greatness.

Tags: Ethel Cain, Reviews, Live Reviews