BPREVIEW: Bullet for My Valentine @ O2 Academy 07.12.16

BPREVIEW: Bullet for My Valentine @ O2 Academy 07.12.16

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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.

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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

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BREVIEW: Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16

Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16 / By Michelle Martin © Birmingham Review

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Words by Billy Beale / Pics by Michelle Martin

Slaves have had such a fast and dramatic rise to stardom that it’s almost baffling. It feels like just yesterday they were a plucky duo of dapper punks with a monochrome Bandcamp page. Now they’re selling out most dates of their UK tour, they’re on their second top-10 album and have had Mike D from the Beastie Boys produce it. It would be baffling if it weren’t for their infectiously likable music.Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16 / By Michelle Martin © Birmingham Review

Openers Shame were first in the queue to play to a dense standing crowd of eager early arrivers. In their oversized 80s-style outfits they look like extras from Weekend at Bernie’s, but their sound is very much on the trend of the current indie zeitgeist.

Twangy single note guitar lines, swashes of delay and reverb with a Fat Whites-esque vocal will likely go down as The Sound of UK Indie 2016 and Shame tick all the boxes in that category. Although they seem to have something of an identity crisis, flailing about in a way that suits music much heavier than they play.

Both second support Life and openers Shame had dedicated vocalists that exhausted all that one can do in terms of waving a mic stand about. Life’s vocalist Mez is like a Northern version of The Horrors’ Faris Badwan, with moves and shapes lifted straight from Jarvis Cocker’s repertoire. Despite having just one guitarist to Shame’s two, Life sound much more like a guitar band, with whammy bar dives and high gain solos scattered between their spat-out lyrics and driving discordant rhythms. Their set ends on a loud and cacophonous number. The bewildered audience forgets to applaud. I hope Life realise that the omission of claps doesn’t mean they did a bad job.

“Bring him out here, I wanna see him” says Slaves guitarist Laurie Vincent, like a punk Caesar with knuckle tats and a Fender Mustang. A stage invader has been foiled – presumably rather forcefully – by the security staff and Vincent Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16 / By Michelle Martin © Birmingham Reviewis concerned. “The security people have got a job to do but, sometimes mistakes are made. I just wanna see he’s alright”. Drummer Isaac Holman is out of sight, presumably intervening.

The Defendant is brought before Vincent. “Do you admit that you’ve been a very naughty boy?” he asks like a Pythonesque Judge. He presides over an enforced hug between the invader and the security staff; Holman returns to his mark behind the drums and the set resumes.

There is a softness to Slaves that doesn’t always manage to come across in their music. They’ve achieved a lot with their format without compromising their sound – primal, angry and loud. There is an awful amount of empty space on the stage but Isaac (shirtless throughout) paces menacingly when he’s not fueling the rhythm engine, while Laurie (shirtless for the encore) almost never stops. Throwing the headstock of his guitar about like he’s fighting off an invisible opponent, teetering on the edge of the monitors and classic moves like Chuck Berry’s one-legged hop.

If the crowd before Slaves were water molecules coming to the boil, they erupted like geyser when tonight’s headliners started. There must have been at least 10 crowd surfers during ‘Steer Clear’, a softer song and definitely not the usual crowd surfing tune. It’s one of the few moments in Slaves’ set where they deviate from their usual gear – flat out. Slaves don’t seem to expect, or want, to be taken seriously, but in these moments where they deviate their delivery is hard to judge. The deadpan of a comedy band, like Flight of the Conchords when they send up a particular genre, feels a bit too close to the seemingly earnest Slaves when they play to a lofi electronic beat.Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16 / By Michelle Martin © Birmingham Review

It’s hard for them to win because their setup is the perfect tool for the full-on, raging, up-to-eleven sound that anything else seems out of place. “You’re so boring when you’re nice”. But the alternative is a flat, undynamic set that lacks variation.

Slaves strike a nice balance, but everybody seems more comfortable with the more moshable tracks. It was refreshing to see ‘Girl Fight’ – mere seconds of anger and trashing – return to the set; it’s an excellent representation of the band because it says so much with so little.

Defying tradition, Slaves finish on newer single – ‘Spit It Out’. An audience member finally makes it on stage and pulls a face before a road crew member steps purposefully towards him, frightening him off. Vincent casts his guitar to the ground and Slaves leave the stage filled with dense feedback.

Slaves live sound is a different beast to the one they showed on either of their major albums. They’re the perfect rock n’ roll band for right now and they’ve pushed the limits of their sound to the very extreme. It will be interesting to see what avenues Slaves go down in future and whether they will sound the same in 2017. 

For more on Slaves, visit www.youareallslaves.com

For more from the O2 Academy (B’ham), visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs & Tours, including full events listings & online tickets sales, visit www.gigsandtours.com

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BPREVIEW: Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16

Slaves @ O2 Academy (B’ham) 19.11.16

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Words by Billy Beale

Kentish punk duo, Slaves, hit Birmingham’s O2 Academy on Saturday 19th November – with bands Life and Shame joining them as support.birm_prev-logo-main-lr

Doors open at 7pm with an 11pm curfew. Tickets are priced at £18 (+booking fee) as presented by SJM Concerts. For direct gig info & online ticket sales, click here.

Slaves’ rise to prominence has been nothing short of meteoric. One minute they are opening shows for veteran two-piece Blood Red Shoes, next they are featured all over Radio 1 and have a top 10 Mercury-nominated album. Not bad for two guys with half a drum kit and a lot of guitar amps.

This year sees a new album release (Take Control, released back on 30th September) and a string of shows across the country, many of which are sold out. Slaves have become notorious for their high-energy live shows that wind crowds Slaves - Take Control tourinto a frenzy, stage antics that are impressive feats of athleticism and crowd surfs that can dislocate shoulders. One such incident back in 2015 took one of drummer Isaac’s arms out of action.

Since their first major release – 2015’s Are You Satisfied?Slaves’ schedule has been non-stop touring, acclaimed festival appearances (home and abroad, including a secret set at Reading) and even an exhibition for guitarist Laurie Vincent’s artwork during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Called ‘Disillusioned’, the show featured his bold, childlike take on contemporary social and political issues. It’s not unlike Slaves’ music, which is primal and raw, yet focused on the circumstances in broader society. The cover art for Take Control is some of Laurie’s work and is an obvious nod to the balaclavas worn by the musical and political Russian protest group Pussy Riot.

How they found the time this past year to write another album, secure Beastie Boy Mike D as producer, and get in the studio to record it is a mystery. But record one they have, with new material getting the live racket treatment on their current tour, including new singles ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘People That You Meet’.

‘Spit It Out’ – Slaves

Slaves perform at the O2 Academy in Birmingham on Saturday 19th November – with Life and Shame as support. For direct gig info & online ticket sales, click here. 

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For more on Slaves, visit www.youareallslaves.com

For more on Life, visit www.lifeband.co.uk

For more on Shame, visit www.facebook.com/shamebanduk

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For more from the O2 Academy (B’ham), visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs & Tours, including full events listings & online tickets sales, visit www.gigsandtours.com

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