21.05.2025 Vowws

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

Outside, the sun was already shining again, but inside the Metal Dome things were about to get dark. Vowws is a dark‑industrial‑pop project by the two Australians Arezo “Rizz” Khanjani and Matthew “Matt” James Campbell, who are based in Los Angeles. In front of the stage it was extremely empty. Something I’ve rarely experienced before. The musical blend the two were about to present over the next 40 minutes was, however, quite unusual for a festival like this.
Khanjani came on stage wearing a long coat and large sunglasses, taking her place next to her synthesizer. Campbell, dressed in a suit, positioned himself to the side with his guitar. Respect for that alone, it was still around 30°C. What followed felt like an LSD trip and could easily be described as a complete work of art. On the LED screens behind them, video sequences played that could have passed as modern art without question. Khanjani sang the songs sometimes clearly, sometimes distorted, occasionally playing along on the synth or lighting a cigarette in between. Campbell worked intensely on his instrument and joined in vocally from time to time. Since the music didn’t really invite dancing or singing along, the audience remained rather reserved, which Vowws honestly didn’t deserve. The only thing that felt a bit unusual was that their style didn’t fit Graspop 100%, leaning more toward electronic pop than metal. But there were a handful of other acts at the festival for whom that was also true.
The YouTube videos I had watched beforehand had made me curious, and other artists had already taken notice of the duo as well. This year they released their third full‑length album and toured with Poppy, which should further increase their visibility and rightfully so, in my opinion. If you’re willing to embrace the somewhat bizarre overall concept, which is certainly not made for the masses, you’ll be rewarded with captivating and expressive music that stands strong on its own. Combined with the video sequences, though, it becomes truly impressive. I suppose my taste here is a bit niche, but I really enjoyed their performance.