Always good to see the energy enthused Swedish rockers again after a good while. Two support bands to get through. Black Diemonds are a Swiss hard rock band with a slight glam edge. Pretty apt support for a gig like this. Their album is ok but not anything that special. It's pleasant though. Live they were merely OK IMO. They just don't quite have the catchiness and edge that I need in my hard rock.
Next up were Heat's fellow Swedes, Degreed. They are a much better proposition indeed. Their new album is their heaviest but I'm not sure it's their best song wise. However they were very good live if not spectacular. This was the last night of the tour so they were drinking on stage etc and having a lot of fun. I seemed to enjoy the older tunes more than the new ones, however I have no complaints for them as a warm up act for the great Heat.
And then it was time for that ball of energy aka Erik Gronwall to let us know yet again what it means to really rock. Opening with Bastard of Society is a wise move indeed with it's killer opening riff and full on energy. When Erik yells "let's go!" well he, his band mates and everyone in the crowd does just that! You can't beat that immediate rush that you get from a Heat show that's for sure.
The lads played a lot of new songs from Into The Great Unknown which was fine with me. I even enjoyed the so called more poppy tunes. They sounded great live and Erik's voice was top notch all night, even though it was the last night of a month long Euro trek for the guys. I loved the classic AOR of 1000 miles as did most no doubt. No "Best of the the Broken" from the new album was a slight disappointment as that simply rocks you to hell and back. However I can safely say there really wasn't a moment that wasn't great. A nice tribute to Malcolm and AC/DC with Whole Lotta Rosie snippet complete with Erik crowd surfing to the bar and starting the song off standing on the bar and then running back and completing it on stage. Typical of that crazy dude. he really is a live wire.
With it being the last night of the tour the stage became a free for all with members of others coming and going as they pleased singing bits and playing bits and filming it all on their mobiles. It may have only been a Tuesday night but a Heat show feels like a Saturday night and then some! One of the most fun and energetic bands from Sweden these days that's for sure. Heat, Eclipse and Work of Art. I swear by this trinity of melodic magic!
Showing posts with label islington academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label islington academy. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Sunday, 5 November 2017
Fozzy Live Report
I was supposed to see Fozzy once way back in the mid 2000s or something. I had a ticket booked etc but I fell very ill and couldn't go. Here were are a decade later and finally seeing Y2J and his chums Rich Ward etc. Three bands were listed as supported. In fact I should point out this was a dual headline gig with Hardcore Superstar both getting an hour on stage.
First band was called The Last Band but strangely they were on first! Let's get the crap jokes out of the way. They were fairly average for me and held no interest so I just milled around and got a beer and went up to the balcony to sit down and see them from above. They were a sort of heavy groovy nu metal/aggro metal band. Not my cuppa really but I guess they were ok for this kinds modern metal crowd.
After that were a band called Madame Mayhem fronted a by dark haired chick. There's a lot of bands around these days playing modern metal with a hot gothy chick fronting them. It can be ok but mostly it's not. MM were ok but not great, but the gal IS great. Great looker and a nice focal point for her band. They need to work on making the songs more catchy like say in Skarlett Riot. Not too bad though and like I said the gal is watchable haha!
Next up were joint headlines, Hardcore Superstar and their souped up glam metal. I am a big fan of one of their earlier albums although I find their most recent stuff a bit average sounding. I've seen them live before and they blew the roof off the stage. I don't think they quite managed it this time. The floor was still bloody packed for them though and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage so I could get a better feel for them. They sound good though but for some reason not as OTT animated as I remembered the last time I saw. I guess they were solid though and played all their best and most memorable tunes. THey are a good band as far as Swedish glam goes though and I far prefer them so say someone like Steel Panther.
I think this was a Fozzy crowd even though it was a dual headline show and that's one of the reasons HS didn't really ignite. However Fozzy did as the intro played and the band took their spots before the man himself, Mr Jericho burst on stage and they launched head on into opening cut Judas. The crowd sing along during the chorus was pretty impressive as the fans lurched forward to get a bit closer. Seems Mr Jericho creates some excitement with his fans. The chants of "Fozzy! Fozzy!" soon start up between every song as the man soaks up the adulation. Seems people really like Fozzy lol, never knew! The band continued with all the big hits from current album and a few classics and played 11 songs in total in their allotted one hour. Which to be fair made for a disappointingly short set. People could have easily had another 30 minutes of this but it was a dual headline so that's what we got. Enemy was my particular highlight. Always loved that tune and it had an extended Ward solo spot too. Jericho's live vocals are a little more gritty and dirty live than they are in the studio but I guess every tries to singer tougher live than in the studio. It's an understandable trait when you're competing with all these massively loud instruments. I should mention the ABBA cover SOS which was really quite fun. The night ended with Sandpaper that catchy tune from the previous album.
Chris seemed genuinely pleased and thanked the crowd for coming and the attendance was very good considering there was another rock gig down the road with MSG. Although I'm not too sure if MSG shares too many fans with Fozzy but to be fair there were a fair number of old school rockers at Fozzy but the crowd was mainly made up of youngsters below 30. Fozzy was fun live, Rich Ward's guitar sounds heavy as fuck and he's actually a really good singer too and provided nice back vocals to Y2J. They left with the crowd's cheers ringing in their ears. Till the next time dudes!
First band was called The Last Band but strangely they were on first! Let's get the crap jokes out of the way. They were fairly average for me and held no interest so I just milled around and got a beer and went up to the balcony to sit down and see them from above. They were a sort of heavy groovy nu metal/aggro metal band. Not my cuppa really but I guess they were ok for this kinds modern metal crowd.
After that were a band called Madame Mayhem fronted a by dark haired chick. There's a lot of bands around these days playing modern metal with a hot gothy chick fronting them. It can be ok but mostly it's not. MM were ok but not great, but the gal IS great. Great looker and a nice focal point for her band. They need to work on making the songs more catchy like say in Skarlett Riot. Not too bad though and like I said the gal is watchable haha!
Next up were joint headlines, Hardcore Superstar and their souped up glam metal. I am a big fan of one of their earlier albums although I find their most recent stuff a bit average sounding. I've seen them live before and they blew the roof off the stage. I don't think they quite managed it this time. The floor was still bloody packed for them though and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage so I could get a better feel for them. They sound good though but for some reason not as OTT animated as I remembered the last time I saw. I guess they were solid though and played all their best and most memorable tunes. THey are a good band as far as Swedish glam goes though and I far prefer them so say someone like Steel Panther.
I think this was a Fozzy crowd even though it was a dual headline show and that's one of the reasons HS didn't really ignite. However Fozzy did as the intro played and the band took their spots before the man himself, Mr Jericho burst on stage and they launched head on into opening cut Judas. The crowd sing along during the chorus was pretty impressive as the fans lurched forward to get a bit closer. Seems Mr Jericho creates some excitement with his fans. The chants of "Fozzy! Fozzy!" soon start up between every song as the man soaks up the adulation. Seems people really like Fozzy lol, never knew! The band continued with all the big hits from current album and a few classics and played 11 songs in total in their allotted one hour. Which to be fair made for a disappointingly short set. People could have easily had another 30 minutes of this but it was a dual headline so that's what we got. Enemy was my particular highlight. Always loved that tune and it had an extended Ward solo spot too. Jericho's live vocals are a little more gritty and dirty live than they are in the studio but I guess every tries to singer tougher live than in the studio. It's an understandable trait when you're competing with all these massively loud instruments. I should mention the ABBA cover SOS which was really quite fun. The night ended with Sandpaper that catchy tune from the previous album.
Chris seemed genuinely pleased and thanked the crowd for coming and the attendance was very good considering there was another rock gig down the road with MSG. Although I'm not too sure if MSG shares too many fans with Fozzy but to be fair there were a fair number of old school rockers at Fozzy but the crowd was mainly made up of youngsters below 30. Fozzy was fun live, Rich Ward's guitar sounds heavy as fuck and he's actually a really good singer too and provided nice back vocals to Y2J. They left with the crowd's cheers ringing in their ears. Till the next time dudes!
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Poets of the Fall Live Report
I saw my first gig of the year on a reasonably mild January night at the Islington Academy last week. The headline band in question was Finnish goth pop rock crew Poets of the Fall, a band who I've grown to appreciate greatly over the last few years. This is in fact the second time I've seen them. Their latest album Clearview came out last year and is as usual a very nice record indeed.
Two support bands were billed as part of this gig. I didn't quite catch their names but both sounded quite pleasant and suitable for the headline act. The first one was like a modern dream pop rock with very funky bass lines and clear vocals. The second band was a band in similar style but with more of a dream aspect. Their melodies were actually rather good and I need to try and find their names.
Poets came on and did what they did last time. Play fantastically well to a pretty much adoring crowd. Marco is a great front man for any band make no mistake. The guy can sing any old crap and the first few rows will be eating out of his hand. The band has a great list of material to choose from and every single song is blessed with a giant sized hook with which to reel you in. I even enjoyed the acoustic segments, something which I don't normally like. A good way to start off the gigging year no doubt, but there will be better shows ahead.
Drama For Life
Daze
The Child in Me
Dreaming Wide Awake
Diamonds for Tears
The Game
Stay
Someone Special
Sleep
Running Out of Time
Once Upon a Playground Rainy
Locking Up The Sun
Carnival Of Ruse
Two support bands were billed as part of this gig. I didn't quite catch their names but both sounded quite pleasant and suitable for the headline act. The first one was like a modern dream pop rock with very funky bass lines and clear vocals. The second band was a band in similar style but with more of a dream aspect. Their melodies were actually rather good and I need to try and find their names.
Poets came on and did what they did last time. Play fantastically well to a pretty much adoring crowd. Marco is a great front man for any band make no mistake. The guy can sing any old crap and the first few rows will be eating out of his hand. The band has a great list of material to choose from and every single song is blessed with a giant sized hook with which to reel you in. I even enjoyed the acoustic segments, something which I don't normally like. A good way to start off the gigging year no doubt, but there will be better shows ahead.
Drama For Life
Daze
The Child in Me
Dreaming Wide Awake
Diamonds for Tears
The Game
Stay
Someone Special
Sleep
Running Out of Time
Once Upon a Playground Rainy
Locking Up The Sun
Carnival Of Ruse
Friday, 25 March 2016
Amorphis Live Report
Something in my deep memory makes me think I've seen Amorphis before but I think it's just some kind of lapse and this is indeed or was the first time I have seen the Finnish masters of all things dark and melodic.
Actually to say I'm a fan of the band would probably be a bit of stretch. They make pleasantly melodic and haunting music with a typically Finnish dark atmosphere which can please the soul. I don't own a single Amorphis album although I did own Elegy way back but decided I don't need it and guess I got rid of it in a trade or something many moons ago. Their recent output is much much stronger in my opinion. Their song writing is much more memorable and the melodies wash over you in a grand manner. Anyway I'm wandering again so to get back on track, the Islington Academy was filling up nicely as I walked in and the first band was already lining up to play their first song.
It turns out they were a Greek band by the name of Poem. Their music wasn't exactly poetry to my ears though! They were basically a slightly progressive modern metal band from the new school of all things Djent. Now the modern djent movement is one that I steer well clear of in the main. Sometimes I'll hear a riff that will pique interest and then soon enough the same grooving staccato patterns emerge and I'm like get me outta here! Anyway Poem were OK. The singer/guitarist's voice was a sort of crooning affair although it was very hard to hear the vocals as he was pretty buried in the mix. His melodies seemed a bit different than the usual Djent style and he didn't resort to screaming much at all apart from the odd line or word. Musically the band was a bit oddball. They had sort of melancholic parts and heavier sections of grooving before doing the regular djent thing going on with a slamming riff taking off. The drummer was louder than everything else pretty much as I recall. Not a terrible support and I've heard worse but not my cupa.
Next up were true believers of the Djent scene in Dutch band Textures. These guys played at colossal volume. The bass guitarist was especially reaching rib cage crushing levels. Textures are a completely typical Djent band. They play that jigga jigga jahhhhhhhhh riff style relentlessly with synchronized stage moves by the two guitarists and the bass player whilst the singer switches between staccatto screams and fluid cleans. The clean vocal parts are rather pleasant it must be said but soon the jarring riff technique soon reappears and we are back in full Djent mode. Some people seemed to enjoy them a lot and others who were there for Amorphis where I'm sure pretty non-plussed by them. Personally I find them cool to watch and they are way into their music whilst they are playing it, so it's cool to see them enjoying themselves. But that joy doesn't pass on to my ears unfortunately. Maybe I'm just too fucking old to get it really I don't know!
Finally at close to 9.30 or slightly before it was finally time for the Finnish warriors to take to the stage. They seemed to get a hero's welcome as they took their positions. Front man Tommy came on and I thought he was gonna be much bigger and taller than he turned out to be. He was quite a wiry smallish dude but with a fearsome roar on the growls and a handsome croon on the cleans. My problem is that whilst I'm listening to Amorphis I can enjoy it but I don't really know a single song of theirs from memory, not even their biggest hit or most well known song. But plenty of people did and were soon singing along to the melodic sections. I must admit that Amorphis sounded really tight and good, like a well oiled machine.
Unfortunately the sound wasn't really that great from my vantage point on the right side. I would've preferred to be more centrally positioned as I normally am to get a better balance, but the venue was pretty damn packed by the time they came on so moving around wasn't really a possibility.
Like I said I couldn't tell you what song is what in an Amorphis set but each song had something pretty cool about it although a couple of times I got slightly bored as songs tended to bleed into one another and sound samey. However the song The Wanderer stood out more than others as I recall. On Rich and Poor was also musically very melodic and enjoyable. House of Sleep closed the main set and also seemed to be a huge crowd favourite with mass sing along
After returning for the encore they played three more songs and left at dead on 11 to rapturous applause from the packed crowd. So I've finally seen Amorphis and it's another band to chalk off the list but the gig was merely good and not amazing and I'm not convinced to see them again should the opportunity arise.
Under the Red Cloud
Sacrifice
Bad Blood
Sky Is Mine
The Wanderer
On Rich and Poor
Drowned Maid
Dark Path
The Four Wise Ones
Silent Waters
My Kantele
Hopeless Days
House of Sleep
Encore:
Death of a King
Silver Bride
The Smoke
Actually to say I'm a fan of the band would probably be a bit of stretch. They make pleasantly melodic and haunting music with a typically Finnish dark atmosphere which can please the soul. I don't own a single Amorphis album although I did own Elegy way back but decided I don't need it and guess I got rid of it in a trade or something many moons ago. Their recent output is much much stronger in my opinion. Their song writing is much more memorable and the melodies wash over you in a grand manner. Anyway I'm wandering again so to get back on track, the Islington Academy was filling up nicely as I walked in and the first band was already lining up to play their first song.
It turns out they were a Greek band by the name of Poem. Their music wasn't exactly poetry to my ears though! They were basically a slightly progressive modern metal band from the new school of all things Djent. Now the modern djent movement is one that I steer well clear of in the main. Sometimes I'll hear a riff that will pique interest and then soon enough the same grooving staccato patterns emerge and I'm like get me outta here! Anyway Poem were OK. The singer/guitarist's voice was a sort of crooning affair although it was very hard to hear the vocals as he was pretty buried in the mix. His melodies seemed a bit different than the usual Djent style and he didn't resort to screaming much at all apart from the odd line or word. Musically the band was a bit oddball. They had sort of melancholic parts and heavier sections of grooving before doing the regular djent thing going on with a slamming riff taking off. The drummer was louder than everything else pretty much as I recall. Not a terrible support and I've heard worse but not my cupa.
Next up were true believers of the Djent scene in Dutch band Textures. These guys played at colossal volume. The bass guitarist was especially reaching rib cage crushing levels. Textures are a completely typical Djent band. They play that jigga jigga jahhhhhhhhh riff style relentlessly with synchronized stage moves by the two guitarists and the bass player whilst the singer switches between staccatto screams and fluid cleans. The clean vocal parts are rather pleasant it must be said but soon the jarring riff technique soon reappears and we are back in full Djent mode. Some people seemed to enjoy them a lot and others who were there for Amorphis where I'm sure pretty non-plussed by them. Personally I find them cool to watch and they are way into their music whilst they are playing it, so it's cool to see them enjoying themselves. But that joy doesn't pass on to my ears unfortunately. Maybe I'm just too fucking old to get it really I don't know!
Finally at close to 9.30 or slightly before it was finally time for the Finnish warriors to take to the stage. They seemed to get a hero's welcome as they took their positions. Front man Tommy came on and I thought he was gonna be much bigger and taller than he turned out to be. He was quite a wiry smallish dude but with a fearsome roar on the growls and a handsome croon on the cleans. My problem is that whilst I'm listening to Amorphis I can enjoy it but I don't really know a single song of theirs from memory, not even their biggest hit or most well known song. But plenty of people did and were soon singing along to the melodic sections. I must admit that Amorphis sounded really tight and good, like a well oiled machine.
Unfortunately the sound wasn't really that great from my vantage point on the right side. I would've preferred to be more centrally positioned as I normally am to get a better balance, but the venue was pretty damn packed by the time they came on so moving around wasn't really a possibility.
Like I said I couldn't tell you what song is what in an Amorphis set but each song had something pretty cool about it although a couple of times I got slightly bored as songs tended to bleed into one another and sound samey. However the song The Wanderer stood out more than others as I recall. On Rich and Poor was also musically very melodic and enjoyable. House of Sleep closed the main set and also seemed to be a huge crowd favourite with mass sing along
After returning for the encore they played three more songs and left at dead on 11 to rapturous applause from the packed crowd. So I've finally seen Amorphis and it's another band to chalk off the list but the gig was merely good and not amazing and I'm not convinced to see them again should the opportunity arise.
Under the Red Cloud
Sacrifice
Bad Blood
Sky Is Mine
The Wanderer
On Rich and Poor
Drowned Maid
Dark Path
The Four Wise Ones
Silent Waters
My Kantele
Hopeless Days
House of Sleep
Encore:
Death of a King
Silver Bride
The Smoke
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Stratovarius - Live at the Islington Academy
I've seen Stratovarius a couple of times down the years but when an album as good as Eternal is released you've really got to give them the time of day and make an effort to see them again. The fact GloryHammer was the main support also made the decision a certainty and the Aussie troop Divine Ascension didn't discourage me either. The Islington Academy was probably 3/4 full by the end of the night so probably around 500, so not a band attendance but I've seen that place rammed beyond comfort already this year so I was actually happy to see it not so full to allow us some breathing room.
First up were Melbourne's Divine Ascension whose music is pretty good on record as I recall. I had actually forgotten that they had a female singer until she burst out last on to the stage as the other guys were playing the intro to the opening song. Her voice was pretty decent but not totally amazing either. They played well and got a reasonable response but I'm guessing the far majority of the crowd probably didn't know who they were. The music was decent and the band was afforded a nice sound mix. The melodies were flowing nicely from song to song but with the music being slightly progressive it was probably harder for the crowd to connect with the band and show more enthusiasm. Not a bad performance at all and I've seen loads worse as an opening band. I'm sure they won over a few of the early comers though most would've probably been waiting anxiously for the main two bands.
Then it was GloryHammer's turn and boy did the crowd really get into it. We love a good bit of humour in our metal and when Thomas the Front man starts telling us to make swish swish noises as he swings his astral hammer about the place there isn't a punter who isn't doing it! The new album is totally fantastic from start to finish and they played a lot of songs from it. Legend of the Astral Hammer got the biggest sing a long of the night and my personal fave tune Universe on Fire was sung brilliantly by Thomas aka Angus McFife. Of course we should refer to the characters in the band by their stage names, you have to pretend you're actually watching a sci-fi movie to power metal music. To say that GloryHammer went down well would be the understatement of the night. These guy were an absolute riot. They leave everyone grinning like cheshire cats from ear to ear and with our fists held high! Next time I'm going to bring an Astral Hammer of my own! (a plastic one!)
Finally at 9.30 the intro music for Finnish giants of power metal played before they took their positions and Jens played the awesome parping intro to My Eternal Dream before the rest of the band joins in and finally Timo bursts on singing the opening lines to the song. An awesome entrance indeed as the band sounded crisp and clean although a touch loud here and there with distortion of the guitars. Unfortunately the young chap's guitar failed as he was attempting to start his solo in the middle of the song and he walked off to get it fixed but Jens covered his mishap with a keyboard solo instead. Not a good start to have equipment failure on the very first song but shit happens sometime. It didn't actually dampen my enjoyment of the song too much as the melody in the song is really spectacular. The band continued with both recent and older material. The stand outs to me were SOS and new epic The Lost Saga. Black Diamond is a song I am a little tired of hearing but it did sound pretty good I must admit. Unbreakable from the last album Nemesis was another huge highlight. A word about Timo's voice. I think he slightly struggles with the higher registers and feels more comfortable with the lower register notes and he sounds far better anyway. His voice was good but their in the middle of a very long tour so he's probably had better nights who knows. The encore featured three cuts, the ballad Forever which was sung brilliantly by Timo I must admit, the awesome new song Shine in the Dark and the classic Hunting High and Low with the extended crowd sing a long section towards the end before they finished o rapturous applause and the crowd left to an unseasonable warm early November night. As I was leaving the GloryHammer guys were at the exit talking with fans and I shook hands with singer Thomas and congratulated him on a great performance. I actually mentioned that this was the third time I am seeing them and he was surprised and said wow and I said I am a long time fan, but tonight was by far the best I have seen them and hopefully I will see them again shortly. A good end to a very nice night of power metal with the honours totally stolen by the mighty GloryHammer!
GloryHammer Set list:
Rise of the Chaos Wizards
Legend of the Astral Hammer
Hail to Crail
Universe on Fire
Angus McFife
The Hollywood Hootsman
Magic Dragon
Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
Stratovarius Set list:
My Eternal Dream
Eagleheart
Phoenix
Lost Without a Trace
SOS
Paradise
Bass Solo
Against the Wind
The Lost Saga
Keyboard Solo
Black Diamond
Unbreakable
Encore:
Forever
Shine in the Dark
Hunting High and Low
First up were Melbourne's Divine Ascension whose music is pretty good on record as I recall. I had actually forgotten that they had a female singer until she burst out last on to the stage as the other guys were playing the intro to the opening song. Her voice was pretty decent but not totally amazing either. They played well and got a reasonable response but I'm guessing the far majority of the crowd probably didn't know who they were. The music was decent and the band was afforded a nice sound mix. The melodies were flowing nicely from song to song but with the music being slightly progressive it was probably harder for the crowd to connect with the band and show more enthusiasm. Not a bad performance at all and I've seen loads worse as an opening band. I'm sure they won over a few of the early comers though most would've probably been waiting anxiously for the main two bands.
Then it was GloryHammer's turn and boy did the crowd really get into it. We love a good bit of humour in our metal and when Thomas the Front man starts telling us to make swish swish noises as he swings his astral hammer about the place there isn't a punter who isn't doing it! The new album is totally fantastic from start to finish and they played a lot of songs from it. Legend of the Astral Hammer got the biggest sing a long of the night and my personal fave tune Universe on Fire was sung brilliantly by Thomas aka Angus McFife. Of course we should refer to the characters in the band by their stage names, you have to pretend you're actually watching a sci-fi movie to power metal music. To say that GloryHammer went down well would be the understatement of the night. These guy were an absolute riot. They leave everyone grinning like cheshire cats from ear to ear and with our fists held high! Next time I'm going to bring an Astral Hammer of my own! (a plastic one!)
Finally at 9.30 the intro music for Finnish giants of power metal played before they took their positions and Jens played the awesome parping intro to My Eternal Dream before the rest of the band joins in and finally Timo bursts on singing the opening lines to the song. An awesome entrance indeed as the band sounded crisp and clean although a touch loud here and there with distortion of the guitars. Unfortunately the young chap's guitar failed as he was attempting to start his solo in the middle of the song and he walked off to get it fixed but Jens covered his mishap with a keyboard solo instead. Not a good start to have equipment failure on the very first song but shit happens sometime. It didn't actually dampen my enjoyment of the song too much as the melody in the song is really spectacular. The band continued with both recent and older material. The stand outs to me were SOS and new epic The Lost Saga. Black Diamond is a song I am a little tired of hearing but it did sound pretty good I must admit. Unbreakable from the last album Nemesis was another huge highlight. A word about Timo's voice. I think he slightly struggles with the higher registers and feels more comfortable with the lower register notes and he sounds far better anyway. His voice was good but their in the middle of a very long tour so he's probably had better nights who knows. The encore featured three cuts, the ballad Forever which was sung brilliantly by Timo I must admit, the awesome new song Shine in the Dark and the classic Hunting High and Low with the extended crowd sing a long section towards the end before they finished o rapturous applause and the crowd left to an unseasonable warm early November night. As I was leaving the GloryHammer guys were at the exit talking with fans and I shook hands with singer Thomas and congratulated him on a great performance. I actually mentioned that this was the third time I am seeing them and he was surprised and said wow and I said I am a long time fan, but tonight was by far the best I have seen them and hopefully I will see them again shortly. A good end to a very nice night of power metal with the honours totally stolen by the mighty GloryHammer!
GloryHammer Set list:
Rise of the Chaos Wizards
Legend of the Astral Hammer
Hail to Crail
Universe on Fire
Angus McFife
The Hollywood Hootsman
Magic Dragon
Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
Stratovarius Set list:
My Eternal Dream
Eagleheart
Phoenix
Lost Without a Trace
SOS
Paradise
Bass Solo
Against the Wind
The Lost Saga
Keyboard Solo
Black Diamond
Unbreakable
Encore:
Forever
Shine in the Dark
Hunting High and Low
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Powerwolf - Live at the Islington Academy
My attendance for this gig was undeniable barring a broken leg or a heart attack or even death. I think even the first two wouldn't have stopped me coming to this gig though I might be struggling if the latter occurred!
I actually bought my ticket a good three months or so in advance. I didn't want to tempt fate in case it was sold out. The big Wolfie ones from Germany had previously packed out the Underworld but this time an upgrade was in order to the larger 800 capacity room of the Islington Academy. A much bigger stage to see my favourite power metal band in the world today. It used to be Sabaton but I think I like da 'wolf even more now though of course it's a close thing no doubt. On the mainland Civil War plays as the opener but alas they did not travel to the London date so we had Xandria and Orden Ogan as main support.
The queue outside the venue was quite large and I would guess the final attendance to be not far off capacity although the place wasn't heaving by any means. It was packed but comfortable. When Sonata Arctica played the same venue a few months ago it was anything but and similarly for Night Ranger. For Powerwolf haven't quite reached those levels of fandom in the UK but nevertheless the crowd was very respectable already as Xandria took to the stage at 7pm sharp. Their singer Diane is a delight both vocally and visually and she sang her heart out. They have a new ep from which they played a couple of songs such as Voyage of the Fallen and Unembraced. I actually would have liked to hear their version of Meat Loaf's I Would Do Anything For Love but it wasn't to be. They sounded wonderful with Diane's awesome quasi operatic vocals cutting through the ix beautifully sharp and clear. They played around 40 minutes which is not bad for openers and they got a great response from the fans. Last time I saw them they headlined their own show but they were just as comfortable supporting but I'm sure they'll be back to do a headlining show sooner or later. Great start!
Just before 8pm the German power metal crew Orden Ogan took their positions in full battle armour and with big smiles on their faces. The singer "Seeb" was in fine form both vocally and flexed his muscles guitar-wise as well. The guy has a few one liners up his sleeve as well with in between song banter. The band got massive participation with their catchier tunes. My particular fave Sorrow Is Your Tale got an airing of course with it's awesome chorus ringing out true and clear. Their set went by in a literal flash and ended with the title track of the previous album To The End. The first time I saw these guys they supported Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and they stole the night. This time the surprise element from their show was reduced and I felt it wasn't quite their night although they are more or less a perfect choice as support for Powerwolf. Their newest album is amazing though and live they sound very good with Seeb's vocals in particular sounding very clear indeed.
Well support bands are just that in the end, a warm up for the main act, and in this particular bill, the other two bands were just playing second fiddle to the mighty blood obsessed ones from Germany. At around 9.15pm or so they took their positions on stage and dove headlong into headbanging new opener Blessed and Possessed. They immediately locked into that famous Powerwolf style of dramatic verses and huge choruses that they do so well. Atilla sounded amazing from the word go with a huge vocal mix. As usual Powerwolf play with no live bass which is actually a pretty cool thing as it makes the sound much clearer and sharper. In fact the sound was almost too perfect to be true. The Greywolf brothers were in fine form and as usual gurning and grimacing their way through the songs and pulling shaped and faces galore.
The stage was set up with two keyboards, one on each side of the stage, allowing organist and band cheerleader Falk Maria Schlegel to switch from side to side between the songs whilst coming to stage front on a regular basis to whip up the crowd as if they needed whipping up. The guy is a real enthusiast and really something else to watch as he gets the crowd to do the oohhhhs and aaaahhhhs and the singing along parts. Powerwolf shows are a real experience of dramatic lighting and awesome stage presence with full crowd participation. At times they really look and sound like they are summoning up some arcane Wolf Gods and calling them out for a night of bloodlust!
A little more on the setlist which is where my only point of criticism can come in. They missed a couple of my fave songs and most importantly of all the amazing We Are The Wild from the latest CD was sadly omitted. Of the other songs played one could hardly complain but I would have preferred a few more tracks from Bible of the Beast but alas they could only play a near enough 90 minute set but a three hour Powerwolf show would have been better to fit in all their great tunes.
Resurrection by Erection is an absolute riot of a hilarious tune and never fails to get the fists pumping. The crowd were hugely loud as expected and singing the choruses back at Atilla as loud as all hell. Dead Boys Don't Cry was another hell for leather riot. We Drink Your Blood never fails with literally everyone singing the chorus.
The encore started with the awesome Sanctified with Dynamite followed by the anthemic and slow burning Kreuzfeuer. I wasn't expecting them to play that one but that is an amazing track with the band bathed in dark and purple light it look like a scene from some medieval film as they played the song through. The night ended with a rousing, crowd pleasing All We Need is Blood with Atilla and Falk Maria again at stage front leading the frenzied crowd which even saw a small moshpit start up. Not really necessary but what the hell it was the last song of a riotous set.
The Greywolf brothers left and the last to leave were of course Atilla and Falk Maria who were both singing the lyrics to the song Wolves Against The World as it played out over the PA system. It was cool of them to stay long and milked the crowd's applause till the last drop. I pity those people who don't get to see this band live. They really are an amazing sight to be hold and with a set of songs guaranteed to get you singing and head banging along in a nanosecond. Long Live da 'Wolf!
Set list:
Blessed & Possessed
Coleus Sanctus
Amen & Attack
Cardinal Sin
Army of the Night
Resurrection by Erection
Armata Strigoi
Drum Solo
Dead Boys Don't Cry
Werewolves of Armenia
Let There Be Night
In the Name of God (Deus Vult)
We Drink Your Blood
Lupus Dei
Encore:
Agnus Dei
Sanctified With Dynamite
Kreuzfeuer
All We Need Is Blood
Wolves Against the World
I actually bought my ticket a good three months or so in advance. I didn't want to tempt fate in case it was sold out. The big Wolfie ones from Germany had previously packed out the Underworld but this time an upgrade was in order to the larger 800 capacity room of the Islington Academy. A much bigger stage to see my favourite power metal band in the world today. It used to be Sabaton but I think I like da 'wolf even more now though of course it's a close thing no doubt. On the mainland Civil War plays as the opener but alas they did not travel to the London date so we had Xandria and Orden Ogan as main support.
The queue outside the venue was quite large and I would guess the final attendance to be not far off capacity although the place wasn't heaving by any means. It was packed but comfortable. When Sonata Arctica played the same venue a few months ago it was anything but and similarly for Night Ranger. For Powerwolf haven't quite reached those levels of fandom in the UK but nevertheless the crowd was very respectable already as Xandria took to the stage at 7pm sharp. Their singer Diane is a delight both vocally and visually and she sang her heart out. They have a new ep from which they played a couple of songs such as Voyage of the Fallen and Unembraced. I actually would have liked to hear their version of Meat Loaf's I Would Do Anything For Love but it wasn't to be. They sounded wonderful with Diane's awesome quasi operatic vocals cutting through the ix beautifully sharp and clear. They played around 40 minutes which is not bad for openers and they got a great response from the fans. Last time I saw them they headlined their own show but they were just as comfortable supporting but I'm sure they'll be back to do a headlining show sooner or later. Great start!
Just before 8pm the German power metal crew Orden Ogan took their positions in full battle armour and with big smiles on their faces. The singer "Seeb" was in fine form both vocally and flexed his muscles guitar-wise as well. The guy has a few one liners up his sleeve as well with in between song banter. The band got massive participation with their catchier tunes. My particular fave Sorrow Is Your Tale got an airing of course with it's awesome chorus ringing out true and clear. Their set went by in a literal flash and ended with the title track of the previous album To The End. The first time I saw these guys they supported Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and they stole the night. This time the surprise element from their show was reduced and I felt it wasn't quite their night although they are more or less a perfect choice as support for Powerwolf. Their newest album is amazing though and live they sound very good with Seeb's vocals in particular sounding very clear indeed.
Well support bands are just that in the end, a warm up for the main act, and in this particular bill, the other two bands were just playing second fiddle to the mighty blood obsessed ones from Germany. At around 9.15pm or so they took their positions on stage and dove headlong into headbanging new opener Blessed and Possessed. They immediately locked into that famous Powerwolf style of dramatic verses and huge choruses that they do so well. Atilla sounded amazing from the word go with a huge vocal mix. As usual Powerwolf play with no live bass which is actually a pretty cool thing as it makes the sound much clearer and sharper. In fact the sound was almost too perfect to be true. The Greywolf brothers were in fine form and as usual gurning and grimacing their way through the songs and pulling shaped and faces galore.
The stage was set up with two keyboards, one on each side of the stage, allowing organist and band cheerleader Falk Maria Schlegel to switch from side to side between the songs whilst coming to stage front on a regular basis to whip up the crowd as if they needed whipping up. The guy is a real enthusiast and really something else to watch as he gets the crowd to do the oohhhhs and aaaahhhhs and the singing along parts. Powerwolf shows are a real experience of dramatic lighting and awesome stage presence with full crowd participation. At times they really look and sound like they are summoning up some arcane Wolf Gods and calling them out for a night of bloodlust!
A little more on the setlist which is where my only point of criticism can come in. They missed a couple of my fave songs and most importantly of all the amazing We Are The Wild from the latest CD was sadly omitted. Of the other songs played one could hardly complain but I would have preferred a few more tracks from Bible of the Beast but alas they could only play a near enough 90 minute set but a three hour Powerwolf show would have been better to fit in all their great tunes.
Resurrection by Erection is an absolute riot of a hilarious tune and never fails to get the fists pumping. The crowd were hugely loud as expected and singing the choruses back at Atilla as loud as all hell. Dead Boys Don't Cry was another hell for leather riot. We Drink Your Blood never fails with literally everyone singing the chorus.
The encore started with the awesome Sanctified with Dynamite followed by the anthemic and slow burning Kreuzfeuer. I wasn't expecting them to play that one but that is an amazing track with the band bathed in dark and purple light it look like a scene from some medieval film as they played the song through. The night ended with a rousing, crowd pleasing All We Need is Blood with Atilla and Falk Maria again at stage front leading the frenzied crowd which even saw a small moshpit start up. Not really necessary but what the hell it was the last song of a riotous set.
The Greywolf brothers left and the last to leave were of course Atilla and Falk Maria who were both singing the lyrics to the song Wolves Against The World as it played out over the PA system. It was cool of them to stay long and milked the crowd's applause till the last drop. I pity those people who don't get to see this band live. They really are an amazing sight to be hold and with a set of songs guaranteed to get you singing and head banging along in a nanosecond. Long Live da 'Wolf!
Set list:
Blessed & Possessed
Coleus Sanctus
Amen & Attack
Cardinal Sin
Army of the Night
Resurrection by Erection
Armata Strigoi
Drum Solo
Dead Boys Don't Cry
Werewolves of Armenia
Let There Be Night
In the Name of God (Deus Vult)
We Drink Your Blood
Lupus Dei
Encore:
Agnus Dei
Sanctified With Dynamite
Kreuzfeuer
All We Need Is Blood
Wolves Against the World
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Hammerfall Live at the Islington Academy
The gig that almost wasn't! Well for me in any case. I had a hell of a day trying to get there as the tube conspired against me in every form possible. I finally managed to get there but I missed Neonfly completely and saw most of Skarlett Riot whom unfortunately I didn't like. I was disappointed to miss Neonfly as they are a great band and have released their best album yet last year. Next time!
Skarlett Riot are a modern melodic metal band with a girl singer. Reasonably catchy tunes but out of place for a support act to a band like Hammerfall and it was hard for them to get a great response from the true metalheads although everyone was polite and there were no catcalls from what I heard.
An early curfew for a Saturday night gig meant the show was supposed to start at 8 sharp but they started about 8.10pm so no biggie. Let's get the true metal party started with anthem after anthem of true melodic heavy metal and new song Hector's Hymn didn't disappoint. The band has a new drummer in the ranks and he didn't miss a beat of course. The band sounded super tight and the Academy had a real punchy and solid sound mix. Very similar actually to the records. The band started well with energy and lots of smiles and the rather packed floor was soon bobbing along. Unlike for Sonata a week ago, a mosh pit even started on the faster and heavier numbers and continued for most of the night. It was probably just boisterous moshing at best and nothing violent or thrash like with bodies flying every where or circle pits or out of place bullshit like that.
Joacim goaded the crowd like the veteran front man that he is and had us eating out of his hand all night. I still enjoy the Legacy of Kings material most of all when it comes to Hammerfall. Hence Let the Hammer Fall and Heeding the Call gaining a big reaction from the assembled true metal warriors. They played a medley of their own tracks which was quite cool as well. The main set ended with their namesake song Hammerfall sung by all and of course ended with their night with the anthemic Hearts on Fire. To be honest the set was a little mixed and could have been better. I would have actually preferred more new tunes to be honest as (r)Evolution is an awesome album. Live LIfe Loud from the new album was fantastic and I would have loved to have heard Origins from the newie as well. Still Hammerfall are true pros at the metal game and deliver the goods with smiles and plenty of style so you won't get bored at a Hammerfall gig that's for sure!
Hector's Hymn
Any Means Necessary
Renegade
B.Y.H.
Blood Bound
Heeding the Call
Let the Hammer Fall
Live Life Loud
400 Meter Medley
(Medley with parts of Genocide, Hero's Return, The Dragon Lies Bleeding and Riders of the Storm)
Raise the Hammer
Threshold
Last Man Standing
Glory to the Brave
We Won't Back Down
HammerFall
Encore:
Templars of Steel
Bushido
Hearts on Fire
Skarlett Riot are a modern melodic metal band with a girl singer. Reasonably catchy tunes but out of place for a support act to a band like Hammerfall and it was hard for them to get a great response from the true metalheads although everyone was polite and there were no catcalls from what I heard.
An early curfew for a Saturday night gig meant the show was supposed to start at 8 sharp but they started about 8.10pm so no biggie. Let's get the true metal party started with anthem after anthem of true melodic heavy metal and new song Hector's Hymn didn't disappoint. The band has a new drummer in the ranks and he didn't miss a beat of course. The band sounded super tight and the Academy had a real punchy and solid sound mix. Very similar actually to the records. The band started well with energy and lots of smiles and the rather packed floor was soon bobbing along. Unlike for Sonata a week ago, a mosh pit even started on the faster and heavier numbers and continued for most of the night. It was probably just boisterous moshing at best and nothing violent or thrash like with bodies flying every where or circle pits or out of place bullshit like that.
Joacim goaded the crowd like the veteran front man that he is and had us eating out of his hand all night. I still enjoy the Legacy of Kings material most of all when it comes to Hammerfall. Hence Let the Hammer Fall and Heeding the Call gaining a big reaction from the assembled true metal warriors. They played a medley of their own tracks which was quite cool as well. The main set ended with their namesake song Hammerfall sung by all and of course ended with their night with the anthemic Hearts on Fire. To be honest the set was a little mixed and could have been better. I would have actually preferred more new tunes to be honest as (r)Evolution is an awesome album. Live LIfe Loud from the new album was fantastic and I would have loved to have heard Origins from the newie as well. Still Hammerfall are true pros at the metal game and deliver the goods with smiles and plenty of style so you won't get bored at a Hammerfall gig that's for sure!
Hector's Hymn
Any Means Necessary
Renegade
B.Y.H.
Blood Bound
Heeding the Call
Let the Hammer Fall
Live Life Loud
400 Meter Medley
(Medley with parts of Genocide, Hero's Return, The Dragon Lies Bleeding and Riders of the Storm)
Raise the Hammer
Threshold
Last Man Standing
Glory to the Brave
We Won't Back Down
HammerFall
Encore:
Templars of Steel
Bushido
Hearts on Fire
Sunday, 3 May 2015
Sonata Arctica - Live at the Islington Academy
Would you believe I have managed to avoid seeing the Finnish masters of melodic metal in all my gig going days. Not that I haven't had chances but I've sort of fallen out of love with the band over the years. I loved their first two albums religiously and have liked many songs here and there since but they've never fully been able to capture the magic of those first two albums by my reckoning.
Any how not to see them live again would be churlish on my part and so I nabbed a ticket for this gig and the support bands Freedom Call and Twilight Force swayed me further still in to thinking this would be a cool night. Good job too as the gig ended up selling out completely. Must be close to 800 or so punters in the end. I managed to get fairly close to the stage on one side but unfortunately standing behind a tall guy didn't help things one iota when it came to capturing decent photos or videos.
Twilight Force were up first and I must admit I was looking forward to seeing these guys the most. Their album is super cheesy but I'm up for that kinda OTT power metal mayhem any day of the week. The band took to the stage in full medieval garb with the two guitarists even going with the Ninja style face cover and even Elvish fake horns! If you're gonna do cheese you might as well do it proper justice and Twilight Force do that and then some. Good job they've got the songs to back it up as well. They had a crystal clear mix as well but the bass was a little loud for my taste at the expense of the guitars and was making my rib cage rattle.
The vocal mix was one of the best I have ever heard at a gig. The lead singer's voice rang loud and clear and his highs were perfectly delivered. They only played 30 minutes including a new song but their album is only a little bit longer in any case so they basically played everything they've got. I was surprised how many of the audience seemed to know their songs and they got an amazing reception from the early packed crowd. The "Twilight Force!!" chants soon started up in between songs and with their final song the band left to huge cheers. These guys are going places in the world of power metal let me tell ya!
Next up were Freedom Call who are celebrating 666 weeks since the release of the Eternity album. I think you're clutching at straws a bit when you've come up with such a milestone but heck they're here to play and have fun so who am I to complain. They played most of the songs from that album but no new songs that I recall. Considering I reckon their latest album is their best ever that's a bit of a shame. Still they always get a good response do the FC lads and this time was no exception. They played with smiles and left to cheers though I'm thinking the crowd was definitely here for the main act Sonata Arctica.
Now I know Tony Kakko's mob are very popular indeed but I was a little surprised how popular they really are these days. They're not releasing their best material yet their fan base is huge and this gig was easily sold out and they could have probably sold out a venue twice as big is my bold guess. This is billed as Ecliptica over Europe tour or some such name, as basically it's a 15 year celebration of the release of their debut and still best album in my humble opinion. They would of course be playing the album in it's entirety over the course of a 90 minute set with a two song build up and a longer encore with newer songs.
The band had easily the best sound of the night with everything balanced perfectly and Tony's vocals wonderfully balanced right at the centre of the mix where they should be I must admit I wasn't expecting his live vocals to be that good but he really surpassed himself and sounded superb all night, never missing a note. Plenty of in between song banter as well and possibly too much sometimes lol. The whole of the Ecliptica album was played from start to finish and sounded perfect to be honest and pretty much exactly like the album. They got a huge response from the crowd with literally almost every one singing the lyrics back at Tony. There's almost some sort of adulation within the power metal community for this band and they are much loved it seems. I knew they were a well loved band but this was more than that with the amount of love being poured from the crowd to the band. I loved Blank File and My Land, Destruction Preventer later was great. Letter to Dana got the biggest sing along of the night as did my favourite song Replica.
The set ended with some newer songs and the great Don't Say a Word from a couple of albums back. The huge and tightly packed crowd loved every minute and left well happy. I am glad I've finally broken my Sonata-less gig count although I'd probably not go and see them again unless they were part of a really cool bill or something.
Can-Can Jaakolla
White Pearl, Black Oceans...
X Marks the Spot
Ecliptica
Blank File
My Land
8th Commandment
Replica
Kingdom for a Heart
FullMoon
Letter to Dana
UnOpened
Picturing the Past
Destruction Preventer
Encore:
Mary-Lou
The Wolves Die Young
Don't Say a Word
(with Vodka outro)
Any how not to see them live again would be churlish on my part and so I nabbed a ticket for this gig and the support bands Freedom Call and Twilight Force swayed me further still in to thinking this would be a cool night. Good job too as the gig ended up selling out completely. Must be close to 800 or so punters in the end. I managed to get fairly close to the stage on one side but unfortunately standing behind a tall guy didn't help things one iota when it came to capturing decent photos or videos.
Twilight Force were up first and I must admit I was looking forward to seeing these guys the most. Their album is super cheesy but I'm up for that kinda OTT power metal mayhem any day of the week. The band took to the stage in full medieval garb with the two guitarists even going with the Ninja style face cover and even Elvish fake horns! If you're gonna do cheese you might as well do it proper justice and Twilight Force do that and then some. Good job they've got the songs to back it up as well. They had a crystal clear mix as well but the bass was a little loud for my taste at the expense of the guitars and was making my rib cage rattle.
The vocal mix was one of the best I have ever heard at a gig. The lead singer's voice rang loud and clear and his highs were perfectly delivered. They only played 30 minutes including a new song but their album is only a little bit longer in any case so they basically played everything they've got. I was surprised how many of the audience seemed to know their songs and they got an amazing reception from the early packed crowd. The "Twilight Force!!" chants soon started up in between songs and with their final song the band left to huge cheers. These guys are going places in the world of power metal let me tell ya!
Next up were Freedom Call who are celebrating 666 weeks since the release of the Eternity album. I think you're clutching at straws a bit when you've come up with such a milestone but heck they're here to play and have fun so who am I to complain. They played most of the songs from that album but no new songs that I recall. Considering I reckon their latest album is their best ever that's a bit of a shame. Still they always get a good response do the FC lads and this time was no exception. They played with smiles and left to cheers though I'm thinking the crowd was definitely here for the main act Sonata Arctica.
Now I know Tony Kakko's mob are very popular indeed but I was a little surprised how popular they really are these days. They're not releasing their best material yet their fan base is huge and this gig was easily sold out and they could have probably sold out a venue twice as big is my bold guess. This is billed as Ecliptica over Europe tour or some such name, as basically it's a 15 year celebration of the release of their debut and still best album in my humble opinion. They would of course be playing the album in it's entirety over the course of a 90 minute set with a two song build up and a longer encore with newer songs.
The band had easily the best sound of the night with everything balanced perfectly and Tony's vocals wonderfully balanced right at the centre of the mix where they should be I must admit I wasn't expecting his live vocals to be that good but he really surpassed himself and sounded superb all night, never missing a note. Plenty of in between song banter as well and possibly too much sometimes lol. The whole of the Ecliptica album was played from start to finish and sounded perfect to be honest and pretty much exactly like the album. They got a huge response from the crowd with literally almost every one singing the lyrics back at Tony. There's almost some sort of adulation within the power metal community for this band and they are much loved it seems. I knew they were a well loved band but this was more than that with the amount of love being poured from the crowd to the band. I loved Blank File and My Land, Destruction Preventer later was great. Letter to Dana got the biggest sing along of the night as did my favourite song Replica.
The set ended with some newer songs and the great Don't Say a Word from a couple of albums back. The huge and tightly packed crowd loved every minute and left well happy. I am glad I've finally broken my Sonata-less gig count although I'd probably not go and see them again unless they were part of a really cool bill or something.
Can-Can Jaakolla
White Pearl, Black Oceans...
X Marks the Spot
Ecliptica
Blank File
My Land
8th Commandment
Replica
Kingdom for a Heart
FullMoon
Letter to Dana
UnOpened
Picturing the Past
Destruction Preventer
Encore:
Mary-Lou
The Wolves Die Young
Don't Say a Word
(with Vodka outro)
Monday, 6 April 2015
UDO live at the Islington Academy
My third and final gig this week featured the legendary UDO and his band with support from Swedes Sister Sin and a band called Garagedays which I've never heard of to be honest. As I walked into the venue Garagedays were already playing and for my taste they didn't sound to good. They played a rough sort of heavy metal like the garage days I guess where you plug in turn to 11 and just rock. It sounds good on paper but the reality was pure boredom. It didn't help that they were playing to about 40 people. The full crowd would go on to reach a respectable 350-400 which is good but the venue was far from sold out. When I saw Night Ranger here and Morbid Angel it was jammed solid especially for Night Ranger when it was almost uncomfortable.
Anyhow I waited for Garagedays to end at the back whilst sipping a beer and looking at my phone. They ended and it was Sister Sin's turn. They were a much better prospect indeed although I didn't get into their 2014 album to be honest but it was OK. The front gal was an energetic chick with an athletic body and knew how to work a crowd with poses and head banging galore. I liked their songs live and they were a pretty perfect warm up act for the main man Udo to be honest. They dedicated one song to Udo himself and it was a very Udo-esque tune called 24-7. Soon their time was up and they left to a pretty good response from the filled out crowd.
The roadies readied the stage and at 8.10pm with a curfew set for 10pm the intro song played through the PA. The stage was covered in a leafy sort of garb from top to bottom with the drum riser center stage. The into song was Beastie Boys' You Gotta Fight and everyone was singing along before the band took their positions and dove headlong into opener Speeder from the new album before the man himself ambled on stage with his familiar gurgle. He sounded good even though he looked every single one of his 63 year and more. How much longer he will go on is any one's guess but he did look very laboured throughout the set and sweatin' buckets on top. These shows were actually billed as Udo's final UK shows but the man himself uttered no such confirmation from the stage and I can only assume that was a presumption on the part of the promoter to get more people in. If it was it didn't really work as the show was far from sold out as I explained earlier.
The band that Udo has gathered around him are all seasoned pros and played with great conviction and the only new member was Udo's son on drums and he fitted in like a glove. Apparently he's been the drum tech for the band for four years already so he knows the ins and outs of it all and it made no noticeable difference to the show. The band was on real rocking form and played with huge smiles on their faces. I enjoyed the new material most as I think Decadent is one of Udo's best albums. The song Pain from the new album is a fave of mine and was played perfectly. I loved Black Widow as well, what a cool catchy tune that one is. Udo played long and hard although it seemed he was reading some lyrics from his big lyric monitor front of stage. You could see his eyes looking down for a few words here and there and at that age I don't have any real problem with that at all.
They played a long time and an almost 2 hour set with a five song encore of classic Accept tunes such as Fast as a Shark, Metal Heart and of course the almighty sing along Balls to the Wall which had everyone singing literally. A classic end to a great night of old school teutonic heavy metal. Accept maybe doing very well since their comeback but there's still life left in Udo and he can mix it with Wolf and co no problems. For how much longer though only Udo himself can tell you. For now his touring schedule is full as I looked at his website so he's not slowing down by any means. Let's hope he's flying the flag of heavy metal for a few years yet!
Speeder
Blitz of Lightning
King of Mean
Decadent
Independence Day
Black Widow
Never Cross My Way
The Bullet and the Bomb
Under Your Skin
Tears of a Clown
Secrets in Paradise
Faceless World
Pain
Untouchable
Let Me Out
Metal Machine
Metal Eater
Encore:
Break the Rules
Metal Heart
I'm a Rebel
Fast as a Shark
Balls to the Wall
Anyhow I waited for Garagedays to end at the back whilst sipping a beer and looking at my phone. They ended and it was Sister Sin's turn. They were a much better prospect indeed although I didn't get into their 2014 album to be honest but it was OK. The front gal was an energetic chick with an athletic body and knew how to work a crowd with poses and head banging galore. I liked their songs live and they were a pretty perfect warm up act for the main man Udo to be honest. They dedicated one song to Udo himself and it was a very Udo-esque tune called 24-7. Soon their time was up and they left to a pretty good response from the filled out crowd.
The roadies readied the stage and at 8.10pm with a curfew set for 10pm the intro song played through the PA. The stage was covered in a leafy sort of garb from top to bottom with the drum riser center stage. The into song was Beastie Boys' You Gotta Fight and everyone was singing along before the band took their positions and dove headlong into opener Speeder from the new album before the man himself ambled on stage with his familiar gurgle. He sounded good even though he looked every single one of his 63 year and more. How much longer he will go on is any one's guess but he did look very laboured throughout the set and sweatin' buckets on top. These shows were actually billed as Udo's final UK shows but the man himself uttered no such confirmation from the stage and I can only assume that was a presumption on the part of the promoter to get more people in. If it was it didn't really work as the show was far from sold out as I explained earlier.
The band that Udo has gathered around him are all seasoned pros and played with great conviction and the only new member was Udo's son on drums and he fitted in like a glove. Apparently he's been the drum tech for the band for four years already so he knows the ins and outs of it all and it made no noticeable difference to the show. The band was on real rocking form and played with huge smiles on their faces. I enjoyed the new material most as I think Decadent is one of Udo's best albums. The song Pain from the new album is a fave of mine and was played perfectly. I loved Black Widow as well, what a cool catchy tune that one is. Udo played long and hard although it seemed he was reading some lyrics from his big lyric monitor front of stage. You could see his eyes looking down for a few words here and there and at that age I don't have any real problem with that at all.
They played a long time and an almost 2 hour set with a five song encore of classic Accept tunes such as Fast as a Shark, Metal Heart and of course the almighty sing along Balls to the Wall which had everyone singing literally. A classic end to a great night of old school teutonic heavy metal. Accept maybe doing very well since their comeback but there's still life left in Udo and he can mix it with Wolf and co no problems. For how much longer though only Udo himself can tell you. For now his touring schedule is full as I looked at his website so he's not slowing down by any means. Let's hope he's flying the flag of heavy metal for a few years yet!
Speeder
Blitz of Lightning
King of Mean
Decadent
Independence Day
Black Widow
Never Cross My Way
The Bullet and the Bomb
Under Your Skin
Tears of a Clown
Secrets in Paradise
Faceless World
Pain
Untouchable
Let Me Out
Metal Machine
Metal Eater
Encore:
Break the Rules
Metal Heart
I'm a Rebel
Fast as a Shark
Balls to the Wall
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