THE GALLERY: Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

 

 

 

Words by Yasmine Summan / Pic by Phil Drury

Florida’s heavy metal band, Trivium, set Birmingham a blaze this week as they storm through the UK on their The Sin and The Sentence World Tour 2018 – bringing city fans extreme head banging, searing guitar riffs, intense breakdowns, and a varied set list of their best hits since they first formed in 1999.

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil DruryFans flocked to the O2 Academy Birmingham in the thousands, hounding the merch tables and practically clinging onto the barrier with faces from all generations wavering through the crowd. I could feel the waves of nostalgia and excitement flooding through the room as fans joyfully ran in, decked out in ancient Trivium memorabilia unseen for years.

Opening the night, UK death metal band, Venom Prison, stormed onto the stage with a high energy performance and excessive head banging from vocalist, Larissa Stupar – who’s impressive screams filled the room and left everyone stunned.Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip followed with their unique sound that revives the best elements of 80’s thrash metal, but takes aspects of modern metal to create a unique flare to their music. Their intensely high tempo, fast paced rhythm and scorching guitar solos had energy buzzing through the air; the whole band emanated great stage presence, with guitarist, Blake Ibanez, leaning into the crowd to sing along with the fans.

Code Orange stood out for their insane, off the wall performance that sky rocketed the energy levels in the room. Before their set had even begun the band’s guitarist, Dominic Landolina, ran off the stage and jumped into the crowd, gathering excitement amongst fans.

Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil DruryWhilst I enjoyed the diverse range of support acts, the drastically varying subgenres didn’t fairly compliment their collective talents. Hardcore is often more aggressive whilst metal is more melodic, which garner completely different audiences. Whilst the majority of the crowd was lively, this did result in some disinterested faces across the room and I think better consideration could have been put into the arrangement of the line-up.

As the lights dimmed and fans eagerly waited, I was unsure of what would entail for the atmosphere in the O2 Academy after the mixed reactions for the previous acts. However, I can assure you that as Trivium’s lead vocalist, Matt Heafy, swarmed onto the stage and the thudding of Alex Bent’s drums began to charge through the room, all hell truly did break loose. Trivium kicked in with their latest track, ‘The Sin and The Sentence’, causing crowd surfers to flood through the barriers, with mosh pits circulating around the room as an intoxicating rush of adrenaline dazed the crowd.Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Their performance was practically unscathed, it felt so well-rehearsed and strategically thought out. From the layout of the stage that matched their latest album cover, to the lights syncing to the beat of the drums and every single riff tearing its way through the room without a single distorted note in sight, I was beyond overwhelmed with the outstanding performance – especially at Heafy’s guitar riffs that were so crisp they could cut through thin air.

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil DruryTrivium play on the traditional styles of heavy metal music, which was translated great through their older hits like ‘Throes of Perdition’ and ‘Becoming the Dragon’ with highly amplified extended guitar solos and emphatic drum beats, similar to heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Pantera. Although arguably, I do think the lack of their works from popular albums such as Shogun and The Crusade was underwhelming, seeing as these tried and tested tracks translate well with the fans when performed live.

The band moved as one body and fed from each other’s energy. It was clear to see the devoted passion for their work thriving through each member; at times you could even see bassist, Paolo Gregoletto, rapidly strumming with sweat soaking his face, as if he was pouring his soul into every strum.Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury Even between songs the band’s genuine nature transpired, as they constantly thanked the crowd and shared moments of their last time in the UK with Heafy saying he feels that “the UK basically adopted us” because of how frequently they visit.

Short bursts of surreal moments are what truly captivated the O2 Academy Birmingham crowd and brought the room together. It was humbling to see fans completely in awe with their eyes glued to the stage, or even to see someone coming out of a mosh pit completely covered in blood but with a huge grin plastered across their face as they sang along to every word.

Trivium are stretching their adventures across the UK and will be visiting Manchester and London before finalising their The Sin and The Sentence Tour for 2018. But as for their stop at the O2 Academy Birmingham, it brought a nostalgic pang of happiness to see fans, families and friends all enjoying themselves.

 

 

 

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

For more on Trivium, visit www.trivium.org

___________

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Power Trip – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

For more on Power Trip, visit www.powertripsl.bandcamp.com

___________

Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Code Orange - supporting Trivium @ O2 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury Code Orange – supporting Trivium @ 02 Academy 17.04.18 / Phil Drury

For more on Code Orange, visit www.codeorangetoth.com

For more on Venom Prison, visit www.venomprison.com

For more from Live Nation UK, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.livenation.co.uk

For more on O2 Academy Birmingham, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

 

BREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

 

 

 

Pics by Eleanor Sutcliffe

Hot on the heels of their fifth studio album, After Laughter, Paramore play to a packed crowd at the Genting Arena, with only a handful of tickets left in the Gods of the 15,683 capacity venue. Not bad for a Sunday. Not bad for any day.

Paramore are back in Birmingham for one of only five dates on the UK leg of Tour Three, with support from Philadelphia’s mewithoutYou, before heading across the globe for gigs in Australia, New Zealand and South Asia.

And the line up looks strong, replete with Zac Farro (one of the original members who left the band in 2010) and three additional touring musicians making up the Tour Three ensemble. But an even more palpable strength tonight comes from the crowd.Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Kicking off, quite literally (as Williams demonstrates her ability to boot you in the face, should she want too) with the first single from their last album – the poignantly penned ‘Hard Times’ – Paramore belt out a set of classic hits from their more rockier albums, alongside a smorgasbord of pop nuggets from After Laughter.

But even whilst delivering their earlier rock fuelled singles such as ‘Ignorance’ and ‘That’s What You Get’, there is a undeniably pop tinge to the Paramore on stage today, something a smattering of the near 16,000 strong crowd might have taken little getting used to.Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review Although some things never change, and by the time one lucky audience member is brought on stage for ‘Misery Business’ the entire arena is joining in and singing along.

Paramore have both a loyal fan base and a chequered history, with the Hayley Williams fronted band changing its line up several times in recent years and steering through some publicly choppy waters. Williams is the one with the record deal, but the arguments over ownership and copyright have spilled off the stage and across the internet since Jeremy Davis first left the band in 2005.

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham ReviewThen there’s their move from rock, to pop rock, to pop, which seems to have been consolidated with Paramore’s latest LP. But the fevour of their fanbase has clearly mitigated any on stage issues or revolving door quabbles, as the energy that fills the Genting Arena tonight stands testament to the songwriting and success Paramore are responsible for.

Plus Hayley Williams is a ferocious front woman, exuding inexhaustible energy as she flits across the stage and talks, with some candour, to the Birmingham crowd. Not least about the “safe little place” she finds on stage.

And it can’t be easy to be in her shoes sometimes (especially whilst head high kicking themselves across a Sunday stage) but Paramore seem as confident as ever tonight – in both their new direction and in the army of fans that will seemingly follow them wherever they lead. Or to the Midlands, at least.

 

 

 

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

For more from Paramore, visit www.paramore.net 

For more from mewithoutYou, visit www.mewithoutyou.com 

For more on the Genting Arena, venue details and further event listings, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com

BPREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

BPREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

Words by Ed King / Pic courtesy of SJM Concerts

On Sunday 14th January, Paramore come to the Genting Arena in Birmingham – performing one of only five dates on their UK tour, with support from Philadelphia’s mewithoutYou.

Doors for the Genting Arena open at 6pm, with mewithoutYou on stage at 7:30pm and Paramore kicking off their headline set at 8:45pm. Standard tickets are priced between £34.24 – £48.93 (inc fees) depending on positioning within the arena.

Amplify Hospitality tickets are also available for £135 (inc fees) which offer a variety of perks – including VIP check in, access to the private lounge, alongside complimentary drinks and dinner. As promoted by SJM Concerts, for full gig details on Paramore at the Genting Arena and links to all available tickets, click here.

*At the time of writing no more standing tickets were available. Extra arena tickets have been released by the promoters, but this gig is looking like a sell out so you might want to move a little quicker than usual.*

Paramore have been on the road with their new album, After Laughter, since summer last year – playing six UK and Ireland dates in 2017, including one night at the Royal Albert Hall (…just, imagine, that one). The Tennessee now trio then embarked on an extensive Tour Two of North America and Canada, from September to October, before confirming their Tour Three return to Europe with gigs in Spain, France and the UK from 7th to 20th Jan. To stay up to date with all Paramore tour details, direct from the band, click here.

Released in May 2017, via the Warner subsidiary – Fueled by Ramen, After Laughter is the fifth studio album from Paramore.  After Laughter also sees the return of Zac Farro, one of the band’s original members, who announced in Feb 2017 that he was back with Paramore to record and tour their new album.

Once again produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Taylor York (who worked together on the band’s previous and eponymous album) After Laughter has received widespread acclaim from fans and the music press alike, with Rolling Stone surmising it as ‘a gorgeously produced, hook-studded record with cocked-eyebrow trepidation adding a jittery edge.’ Indeed, it is the bittersweet lyrics from Hayley Williams that seem to be gathering the most attention from After Laughter, with some uncomfortable scars seemingly part of the creative force behind the band’s latest LP. And after a quick Google search through some bizarrely bitter statements and retrospective foot stamping, you can understand why.

But for the fans it’s business as usual, with renewed fervor at Zac Farro’s return and a sell out show zeal supporting Paramore’s latest road trip. After Laughter’s lead single, ‘Hard Times’, reached No6 on the Billboard Hot Rock Charts across the pond and was officially certified ‘Silver’ by British Recorded Music Industry (that’s selling over 200k copies, to you and me).

Subsequent singles ‘Told You So’ and ‘Fake Happy’ both beat a Billboard Hot Rock Top 40, whilst the album itself climbed even higher – reaching No1 on the same US chart and No4 on the UK’s Official Album Chart.

So it seems you can’t keep a good thing down after all, no matter how publicly some corners of the world might try to – ‘and I bet everybody here is just as insincere’. Well, quite.

‘Fake Happy’ – Paramore 

Paramore come to the Genting Arena on Sunday 14th January, with support from MewithoutYou – as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct event info and online ticket sales, click here. 

For more from Paramore, visit www.paramore.net 

For more from mewithoutYou, visit www.mewithoutyou.com 

For more on the Genting Arena, venue details and further event listings, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com

BPREVIEW: Bullet for My Valentine @ O2 Academy 07.12.16

BPREVIEW: Bullet for My Valentine @ O2 Academy 07.12.16

follow-birmingham-review-on-300x26facebook-f-square-rounded-with-colour-5cm-hightwitter-t-square-rounded-with-colour-5cm-highinstagram-logo-webcolours-rgb

 

 

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 7th December, Bullet for My Valentine come to the O2 Academy Birmingham – performing their debut album, The Poison. Support comes from Killswitch Engage + Cane Hill.Birmingham Preview

Doors open at 7pm with an 11pm curfew. Tickets are priced at £30 (+booking fee) as presented by Live Nation. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

Formed in back in 1998, under their original name Jeff Killed John, it would be their 2005 The Poison album (and shift in musical direction) that would stamp Bullet for My Valentine into the metalcore scene in the UK, Europe and the US.

Produced by Colin Richardson (Cradle of Filth, Napalm Death, Slipknot), The Poison was something of a powerhouse debut – with the BBC’s Joe Gooden describing the ‘54 minutes of twisted, dark, uncompromising metal’ as ‘an ugly, bloody mess of dense, relentless melodic metalcore, the-poisonduelling vocal harmonies and chugging guitars, perfect for tinnitus-risking kids everywhere.’ Not sure I’ve seen that section on HMV’s shelves, but when the opening line of an album track makes your singer pass out (“LETS GO” – on ‘Tears Don’t Fall’) then I guess you’re a bit above or beyond.

The Poison charted at No21 on the UK Album Charts, and led to Bullet for My Valentine playing the Download and Kerrang! Festivals, alongside a North American tour supporting Rob Zombie. The band released four singles from their debut album, with the singer flooring ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ winning the 2006 Kerrang! Award for Best Single. And apparently, if you listen closely, you can hear him drop.

‘Tears Don’t Fall’ – Bullet for My Valentine

Bullet for My Valentine come to the O2 Academy (B’ham) on Wednesday 7th December – performing their 2005 debut album, The Poison. Support comes from Killswitch Engage + Cane Hill. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

__________

For more on Bullet for My Valentine, visit www.bulletformyvalentine.com

For more from the O2 Academy (B’ham), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more form Live Nation, visit www.livenation.co.uk

follow-birmingham-review-on-300x26facebook-f-square-rounded-with-colour-5cm-hightwitter-t-square-rounded-with-colour-5cm-highinstagram-logo-webcolours-rgb