Tonight is Asking Alexandria’s biggest UK show to date, and despite already conquering America, this is the first time AA can really feel like they’ve well and truly conquered their homeland. It’s a spectacular night and a fantastic line up: with Motionless In White and While She Sleeps providing main support, it’s a huge show for all involved.
Pennsylvanian goth rockers Motionless In White come onstage to rapturous applause, and if you didn’t know they were a support band, you might genuinely believe they were headliners from the response they ignite. They play a relatively short but sweet set, consisting of their biggest hits (‘We Only Come Out At Night’, ‘Abigail’ etc), and they go down an absolute storm. The sound isn’t great, and it remains a little muffled throughout, but despite that they manage to come away triumphant. Excellent work.
Next up are Sheffield metallers While She Sleeps, beginning Brixton’s Yorkshire takeover. They’re one of the few bands that seem to belong both in sweaty little venues and on massive stages, which is a pretty impressive feat. Like Motionless In White, they suffer from slightly muffled sound at the beginning of their set, but their performance itself is flawless. Frontman Loz Taylor possesses fantastic energy, as do the rest of the band. Highlights are ‘The North Stands For Nothing’, ‘Our Courage Our Cancer’ and closer ‘Seven Hills’. Watch these boys, because they’re ascending steadily, and they might just end up headlining this venue themselves.
Last but not least are the gargantuan Asking Alexandria. For a band who have only been around since 2008, their rise to fame has been unbelievable. Already huge in America, they are now taking over their homeland with style. There were rumours of pyrotechnics before the show, but this pyro show has to be seen to be believed. Truly, it’s one of the most spectacular shows you will ever see. The pyro itself is unreal and teamed with chugging riffs, synchronised headbanging and Asking Alexandria’s massive tunes, it’s a pretty unbeatable combo.
The band themselves have some great energy tonight and it’s impossible to take your eyes off them. For 80 minutes, there is nothing else in the world but Asking Alexandria and their huge anthems (see ‘To The Stage’, ‘Not The American Average’). Utterly incredible. The sheer adulation from the crowd is overwhelming and it’s truly impressive to watch the response they receive. Say what you want about Asking Alexandria, but they’re flying a pretty massive flag for the UK and we should be incredibly proud.
The sky’s the limit.
LAIS MW
