Although Brixton Academy has seen both of tonight’s bands headline in their own right, tonight it’s treated to a co-headlining show. Asking Alexandria are the first band on stage and with the electronic wobbles of ‘Into The Fire’ playing over the PA, the band explode into the track with renewed passion and vigour. Danny Worsnop, back after briefly quitting the band, sounds like a man possessed. Often described as having a one in a million voice, his ability to switch between crooning, deep growls, different tones and techniques is incredible to behold.
The balanced, 16 song set, covers their entire back catalogue (excluding the forgotten album ‘The Black’) with newer tracks fitting snugly alongside older material. Going from ‘Alone in a Room’ straight into ‘The Final Episode’ brings both sides of Asking Alexandria together, even with Worsnop turning the refrain of the latter song into a rendition of Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’. Launching into the ferocious ‘Not The American Average’, the crowd scream along with every word before two acoustic songs gives them a breather. Asking Alexandria’s resurrection is complete by smashing through the colossal ‘Where Did It Go?’ before ending on ‘Moving On’ and ‘The Death Of Me’.
Following Asking Alexandria on this kind of form is a daunting task, but not for a band as confident as Black Veil Brides. Striding on stage and laying waste to Brixton on the first song is a feat not many bands are able to achieve, but it’s made possible by Andy Biersack, who may be one of the most underrated front-men in the world. Biersack prowls the stage like a mad man, inciting chaos as he bellows lyrics in his unique tone. The glam-metal genre is much maligned, but Black Veil Brides prove that it should be taken seriously.
Black Veil Brides aren’t always spoken about positively, but with the songs to back up their talent, it’s hard not to be impressed. A stunning ‘Faithless’ leads into ‘Coffin’ as they click through the gears quickly. ‘Rebel Love Song’ and ‘Shadows Die’ sound massive in this venue and when they decide to slow things down with ‘Lost It All’, the crowd participation is spine-tingling. Ending the main set on a triple hit of ‘The Legacy’, ‘Wretched & Divine’ and their first ever song release ‘Knives & Pens’, they leave on a high, before returning for an encore of ‘Fallen Angels’ and ‘In The End’, to put a perfect end to this spectacular show.
Billed as a co-headlining tour, both bands got the same amount of time to impress their audience and Brixton Academy looked massively satisfied. Both bands are playing Download Festival later this year and on this kind of form, both sets could be up there with the best of the weekend.
ADAM ROSARIO
