The Belgian duo bring their dystopia-fuelled megamix ‘All Systems Are Lying’ to a packed Brixton Academy.

In 2026, Soulwax feels more like a boutique entertainment brand than just another musical outfit. The brainchild of brotherly Belgian duo David and Stephen Dewaele, their output across three prolific decades has been nothing short of astonishing. Remixes for the likes of Tame Impala, Marie Davidson, Fontaines D.C or MGMT are arguably bigger than the group themselves. Nights under their DJ guise of 2manydjs are as in demand as any shows as Soulwax. Since its conception just over a decade ago, their self-founded record label Deewee has released acclaimed albums from Charlotte Adigery, Bolis Pupul and Marie Davidson (again). Not many musicians can boast their own radio station in Grand Theft Auto.

Their actual recorded output, and their touring show at that, is just a fraction of what they do. Which makes the stupendous thrills of a Soulwax gig even more impressive. Celebrating the release of their first studio album in 7 years – last October’s dystopia-fuelled megamix ‘All Systems are Lying’ – a packed-out Brixton Academy in the middle of gloomy January got to see some reaaaal sick shit.

Like, the stage set itself would not be out of place in a Brechtian theatre production. Three columns of platformed scaffolding (more on that later) with a white sheet wrap all around the stage perimeter. Industrial-sized lights dotted around are fully exposed to the audience, as are the custom-build synthesizers. Staggered in military formation, their cartoon-sized dials and light-up keyboards look like retro-futurist control-panels from the Starship Enterprise. Just when I think those dials are there for show, a voiceover mid-set factually breaks down the sound-rig. Yep. the dials do stuff.

And on that scaffolding. It’s for three separate drummers. (“Three drummers, Jeremy, that’s insane.”) It’s a gimmick for sure, but so were lightsabers, and I want a lightsabre, and now I want every rock show to have at least two drummers, because maybe one drummer just isn’t enough anymore. As you might expect from a set-up involving three drum-kits rattling together with exquisite, gut-punching poetry, Soulwax’s music becomes a conquest of rhythm, a seamless suite of high-intensity electro-rock drama, rooted in the melody of 2000s alt-pop, while also doffing its cap to the foundational mothers and fathers of synth-pop. So much of their dizzying keyboard textures could be plucked from classic Kratfwerk records, for example. But Then again, Kraftwerk didn’t have three fucking drummers.

Dotted with references to classic moments from the Soulwax cannon – a tease of their iconic Marie Davison ‘Work’ remix is a particularly joyful moment – it’s far from a greatest hits set. In fact, it’s portions from the latest record which are among the most memorable here. When ‘All Systems are Lying’ segues into ‘Gimme A Reason’, the eight-minute sequence brings together everything that makes Soulwax so special: soulful songwriting and punishing techno-rock drops lit up in furious lights. 

If there’s one bum moment, it’s that an encore seems like an obligation rather than a necessity. It feels criminal that the band should ever be made to restart for something so formulaic. There’s an alternate world out there where it’s Soulwax forever, where the electro-static drum beats roll on and on and on, as indeed they should.