Ethel Cain’s Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour Review: A Religious Experience

Ethel Cain is a religious experience

On October 6th, 2025, the Hammersmith Apollo transformed into a church for Ethel Cain's sold-out show. With her fans in white dresses and camo, ready to see the Preacher's Daughter.

Ethel Cain, a fictional character created by Hayden Anhedonia, is the main protagonist of the concept album Preachers Daughter. The cinematic album follows Ethel through her struggling relationship with her parents, losing her first love and running away from home. These events eventually led to her being murdered and cannibalised.

Her sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll always love you, the haunting prequel to the story told postmortem by Ethel. Focusing on the one time, Ethel was happy, and a longing to go back to that time and just be content. Setting the scene for the concert.

The world-building and storytelling that Cain is famous for deeply impacts and translates to her stage presence.

The stage feels like an eerie gothic graveyard with a grass stage, overarching willow trees and a crucifix mic stand. The lighting is hypnotising, with backlighting featured throughout, lighting Ethel up like a ghostly figure.

This was particularly impressive during the song Dust Bowl. A spiral spotlight points out to the audience, with a silhouette of Cain and the crucifix. Watching this visually stunning performance, paired with Ethel's angelic voice over the top of the grungy music, I felt my body slowly get covered in goosebumps.

Afterwards, the intro to 'Vacillator' started playing, where the lighting switched from hypnotic to disorientating. Possibly drawing inspiration from the visionary David lynch, a credited influence for Ethel. If there were any Twin Peaks fans in the audience, the transition from 'Dust Bowl' to 'Vacillator' felt like watching the scene where agent dale cooper enters the black lodge for the first time.

'Waco, Texas', never really struck a chord with me while listening to the album at home due to the 15-minute run time, but after leaving this concert, it is now one of my favourites. A slow-building song of Ethel realising she must accept what has happened to her, and she will never make it back to the house with Willoughby. It is Ethel Cain at her best. Each line is sung with such skill and emotion. For those 15 minutes, I have never felt more seen or connected to an artist.

After singing the entirety of 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll always love you', along with songs from the mainly instrumental album Perverts, she has saved the fan favourites for last.

Throughout the tour, she has switched between Thoroughfare and A House in Nebraska to start her encore. And as soon as those opening notes started, everyone screamed in excitement, knowing we got A House in Nebraska. My personal favourite Ethel Cain song, and I doubt anything will ever beat the feeling of singing that song along with 5000 people and of course Ethel Cain herself.

She closed her show with her two most popular songs 'Crush' and 'American Teenagers'. The crowd's response to these songs was electric, with them shouting out every line. Proof that she can create catchy energetic pop songs that blend perfectly into the rest of her discography and aesthetic.

The Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour was one of the most beautiful and emotional concerts I have been to. Ethel managed to make singing some songs about a fictional love, one of the most spiritual experiences. Is it too early to call Ethel Cain a visionary? I think not.