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Jimmy Eat World

Brixton Academy, London

Wednesday 6th July 2022

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JIMMY EAT WORLD – LONDON – LIVE REVIEW

After two years of waiting, Arizonian emo icons Jimmy Eat World finally arrive at what Jim Adkins refers to as his favourite venue to play. That love is reciprocated as Brixton Academy is packed tonight as fans await their heroes.

Those in the venue early are greeted by opening act together PANGEA from Los Angeles. A promising start soon begins to plod as the heat takes hold. It’s been a hot one today and as this set continues, fans begin to wilt.

Anticipation rises again for our main support act, The Get Up Kids. The influential group are given a good forty five minutes to play with, but this may end of working against them. Again the set starts well, but soon becomes samey and tiresome, with the general lethargy of the audience not exactly helping to create an exciting atmosphere.

With a crowd devoid of vigour, and energy sapping, tonight needs a kick up the rear end. Thankfully for everyone Jimmy Eat World are ready to do just that and start off their performance with ‘Futures’, ‘Pain’ and ‘Bleed American’.

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Jimmy Eat World – ‘Pain’

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Suddenly the venue finds its voice and our headliners are able to revive the flagging audience. There is a connection between Jimmy Eat World and their fans and that means even new tracks such as ‘Criminal Energy’ from latest effort ‘Surviving’ are savoured.

The first two bands time on stage dragged, but our headline set flies past, which is always a good sign. This is a band that knows what the fans want, and they simply plough through their fantastic back catalogue.

Obvious highlights come from the sing-a-long moments such as ‘Big Casino’, ‘A Praise Chorus’, ‘Work’ and ‘Hear You Me’. The whole set tonight flows well though and by the time main set closers ‘Sweetness’ and ‘The Middle’ are aired the crowd are refreshed and able to let loose.

An encore of ‘Get It Faster’ and ‘23’ brings an end to what has ultimately been an enjoyable night which was well worth the wait!

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Rival Sons

UEA LCR, Norwich

Monday 27th June 2022

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RIVAL SONS – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

It was March 2012, some ten years ago now, that I first discovered Rival Sons on this very stage. The band supported Black Stone Cherry here at the UEA LCR in Norwich and instantly had a new fan.

I was captivated by the incredible power of the band and the unbelievable voice of singer Jay Buchanan. The bands most recent release at the time was their breakthrough second album, ‘Pressure & Time’, so imagine my delight that the band are back on this stage tonight playing that album in its entirety!

My history of this band in this venue doesn’t stop there however. Two years later in 2014 the band headlined the venue for the first time and I attended to review for another publication. Just two songs in Buchanan departed the stage unable to continue and the show abruptly ended. The last song played, you guessed it, ‘Pressure and Time’.

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Rival Sons – ‘Pressure and Time’

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The band made up for that show in 2015 and now some seven years later they return with Buchanan acknowledging onstage “…I remember this place…”. Before that though we have the support band!

Tonight, that band is Dirty Honey who hark back to that night of discovery a decade ago by delivering a blistering set of classic rock infused numbers that somehow seems to channel the same energy as Rival Sons way back when.

Many in the crowd appear clued in and lap up the likes of ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘When I’m Gone’. I can certainly see history repeating itself and Dirty Honey making similar strides to those of our headliners tonight.

The weird time warp that I find myself in then comes full circle with Rival Sons arriving on stage and banging out ‘Pressure & Time’ in full with very little time spent coming up for air.

It isn’t until the band plough through the tracks that you remember just how many great tracks are on this album. ‘All Over the Road’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Burn Down Los Angeles’, ‘Gypsy Heart’ and ‘White Noise’ all stand out this evening.

It’s not until after they return from a very short intermission that the band begin to engage with the audience and the atmosphere becomes more relaxed. ‘Open My Eyes’ and ‘Electric Man’ certainly help to loosen up the crowd a little.

There are stunning moments with Buchanan demonstrating those hauntingly good vocals on ‘Jordan’ and ‘Shooting Stars’ before the band stretch their legs on ‘Feral Roots’.

They close out the show with ‘Do Your Worst’ and new track ‘Nobody Wants To Die’, and the audience are sent into the night happy. We’ve relived the past and looked to the future, and we’ve celebrated the fact that Rival Sons remain an incredible force live.

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Rammstein

Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry

Sunday 26th June 2022

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RAMMSTEIN – COVENTRY – LIVE REVIEW

This review could be very short indeed, as just four words would really suffice. Quite simply, “Go see Rammstein live!”.

A Rammstein show is truly an experience from start to finish. What other act could have only their own music piped into the venue in between acts, and have the only support act be two classical pianists playing, you guessed it, Rammstein songs, without appearing to be egomaniacal?

Every minute detail of the event is planned methodically to welcome attendees to the theatre that is Rammstein live.

The praise heaped upon the current spectacle that the band are touring has been well documented, with most audience members walking away from their Milton Keynes show proclaiming it the best gig ever.

Since then we have had a pandemic, and importantly due to this down time and delay to these follow up shows, we have a new Rammstein album! ‘Zeit’ arrived this April and is typically insane, so there should be no worry of these new songs fitting in tonight.

Following the classical takes of Duo Abelard, anticipation reaches a fever pitch inside the packed stadium. The stage protruding out the top of the stadium, the setup really is intimidating, and the fact that the front pit is called the Feuerzone should tell its own story.

As soon as the band take to the stage the onslaught of noise and flame commences and the audience are split between those banging their heads to the likes of ‘Links 2-3-4’ and ‘Mein Herz brennt’, and those more akin to attendees at a fireworks display with eyes wide, mouth open and plenty of ooohs and aaahs.

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Rammstein – ‘Zick Zack’

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As expected the new songs slip in seamlessly with ‘Zick Zack’ and ‘Zeit’ going down particularly well amidst the fire, confetti and extravagant lighting of the show.

The run of ‘Deutschland’, ‘Radio’, ‘Mein Teil’, ‘Du hast’ and ‘Sonne’ is incredible and demonstrates that there is so much more to Rammstein then just the show. That being said, the show is also so good that you needn’t be a fan of the music to have an incredible time.

It’s that combination of music and show, style and substance that truly elevates Rammstein above anyone else. A piano version of ‘Engel’ performed from the b-stage before the band crowd surf back to the main stage in boats is another stunning moment from a show packed full of wow moments.

By the time the band close out the experience with ‘Adieu’ even the most cynical of critics will be won over or they are just lying. So… music, fireworks, insane antics, burning towers, impossible amounts of confetti etc etc etc… basically, four words… “Go see Rammstein live!”.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers

London Stadium

Saturday 25th June 2022

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – LONDON STADIUM – LIVE REVIEW

The career of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is well chronicled and isn’t something that we need to go in to great depth on. The fact that John Frusciante is back in the fold however is highly noteworthy.

Frusciante takes the band to a different level, one that they have struggled to retain over the past decade or so during his absence. Both on record and live it has felt like the legendary act were simply going through the motions.

That all changes now though with the iconic four members in place, the band instantly finds themselves elevated. A huge world tour taking in some of the biggest venues on offer tonight arrives at the London Stadium for the first of two nights in the venue.

Opening acts Thundercat and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals both do a good job in warming up the crowd, who bask in the summer sun. Yes, the great British weather does well to accommodate three Californian acts which helps to add to the atmosphere.

It’s then over to the Red Hot Chili Peppers as Frusciante, Flea and Chad Smith hit the stage and break into an intro jam that ramps up in intensity until the unmistakeable opening to ‘Can’t Stop’ cuts through.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Can’t Stop’

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From here frontman Anthony Kiedis leads his cohort through a mixture of old and new tracks to the delight of the receptive audience. The likes of ‘Dani California’, ‘Scar Tissue’ and ‘Snow ((Hey Oh))’ elicit stadium filling sing-a-longs as the band showcase their immense back catalogue.

The past decade is ignored as the band celebrate the return of Frusciante, who is a breath of fresh air for the band tonight. Of course, the guitarist joined the band for their recent album ‘Unlimited Love’, and tracks from that album help to testify to his impact. ‘These Are the Ways’ and ‘Black Summer’ are two highlights tonight even amongst the older offerings.

Read our review of ‘Unlimited Love’ from Red Hot Chili Peppers

Naturally the biggest reactions come for the likes of ‘Otherside’, ‘Californication’ and ‘Give It Away’ but the whole setlist tonight is well structured to the occasion. Tonight is a celebration and that is reflected in the bands performance.

An encore of ‘Under the Bridge’ and ‘By the Way’ sends the crowd off into the night having witnessed a legendary act prove that they do still have something left to give.

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The Hella Mega Tour

London Stadium

Friday 24th June 2022

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THE HELLA MEGA TOUR – LONDON STADIUM – LIVE REVIEW

The mass hysteria of excitement over the initial announcement of The Hella Mega Tour was something to behold. Of course, multiple unpredictable delays have occurred since then and these shows take place now almost three years later.

That initial excitement naturally dimmed by the events of the past few years soon returns however as you approach the impressive London Stadium in Stratford. Spirits are high as fans funnel into the venue ready for three iconic acts.

Before then though, they are greeted by opening act Amyl and The Sniffers who christen the stage with their unique brand of punk rock. Punk was built on rebellion and spite so it’s refreshing to see a band going back to those roots after the genre has become somewhat safe over the last decade.

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Amyl and The Sniffers – ‘Security’

Some fans get it, others look on in bemusement, but one thing is sure and that is that playing a potentially poisoned chalice of a support slot, the group deliver something memorable.

Any opening band was always going to be overshadowed by what follows on The Hella Mega Tour. It’s soon time to start the feast of music on offer today, and the crowd has piled in early for the first of our three headlining acts Weezer.

Read our review of ‘Van Weezer’ from Weezer

What makes The Hella Mega Tour special is that each of the three main acts get not just a headline set length but also full production. Weezer take full advantage of that with a stunning stage setup, but for me the appeal of Weezer live has always been the music, and today the fans are treated to a stunning setlist.

Opening with ‘Hash Pipe’, ‘Beverly Hills’, ‘My Name Is Jonas’ and ‘Pork and Beans’, the band instantly have the packed audience in the palm of their hands. The band proceed to mix old, new and covers. By the time they take their leave with ‘Buddy Holly’, the band have set the bar very high for their contemporaries to follow!

Thankfully for both those following bands and the fans in attendance, both are more than capable to keeping pace with the very best. Next to grace the stage are Fall Out Boy who again waste no time in plying the crowd with huge hits.

‘The Phoenix’ sees the band flex their muscles with pyro galore and the extravagance of the band never really fades with their set designed to tell a story. There is no real lull in pace by the band today as they blast out hit after hit; the only short respite coming due to an issue in the crowd.

Fall Out Boy are slightly younger than their tour buddies but with their performance today they show that they have reached that iconic status already. You really could go home happy at this point following three great performances, but that’s the beauty of The Hella Mega Tour, it’s mega and there is a final performance remaining from global superstars Green Day.

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Green Day – ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’

By this point anticipation from the crowd has reached a fever pitch and after years of delay and hours of acts behind us, fans are ready to explode. Imagine the response then when the band open with ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Holiday’!

Yes, it’s clear that the band are prepared to make up for lost time and it’s an old fashioned rocker of a show from Green Day. Perhaps they are trying to keep up with Fall Out Boy or justify their position on top of the bill, but their performance is slick and removes some of the bloatedness of latter year Green Day.

Of course, the band has the hits for a situation like this and hearing a packed stadium sing every word of the likes of ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Minority’ and ‘Basket Case’ just shows what we have missed over the past couple of years.

We may have had to wait an awful long time for The Hella Mega Tour but wow was it worth the wait. Every band brought their A game, and the show as a whole will become a thing of legend from here on out!

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Fatherson

The Portland Arms, Cambridge

Wednesday 24th May 2022

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FATHERSON – CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW

In the week that the Music Venue Trust launches their new #OwnOurVenues campaign, it’s somewhat fitting that we find ourselves at The Portland Arms in Cambridge.

Not only does the venue signify everything that the organisation seeks to protect, but they have themselves benefitted during lockdown from the Frank Turner led Independent Venue Love series.

It is venues such as this that act as the lifeblood for artists and music fans alike and The Portland Arms is a particular favourite of mine.

We find ourselves here tonight to catch the brilliant Fatherson, as the band tour their latest album, ‘Normal Fears’. As it appears are many others who fill the venue despite the favourable Spring weather outside.

BLACK FOXXES

Opening tonight is a band that has been building a solid reputation over the past decade, but one that is emerging again after large structural changes. Black Foxxes released their third album mid-pandemic shortly following major line-up changes.

Tonight they show that this refreshed version of the band is still a viable prospect with huge amounts of potential. A raw and intense performance is underpinned by the quality of musicianship, which ensures that the crowd are suitably enthralled.

FATHERSON

Soon enough it is time for the headliners Fatherson to step onto the intimate stage, and they do so by bursting straight into ‘Dive’, ‘Charm School’ and ‘Lost Little Boys’. This trifecta is a superb opening salvo which gets the audience into high spirits.

Singer Ross Leighton then introduces ‘Normal People’ and their fourth studio album, ‘Normal Fears’, gets to come to life in the live setting. The new tracks slot in seamlessly with older favourites, and demonstrate the impressive back catalogue that the band has now amassed.

Throughout the evening the band show their quality as a live act, with Leighton’s vocals particularly captivating at times. Once you catch Fatherson live, you will be hooked moving forward such is their power as a band.

Picking a set list with four quality albums behind them must be a tricky conversation now for the band, but tonight they come up with a good mix from across all albums. Older favourites are present such as ‘Cat Stevens’ and ‘Ghost’, with newer tracks like ‘Better Friend’ and ‘Honest To God’ also serving a highlights.

All in All, as the band finish with an encore of ‘Making Waves’, fans can leave the venue reflecting on another fantastic night of music. It really is nights like this, in venues like this where music truly thrives.

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Volbeat

O2 Academy Islington, London

Saturday 21st May 2022

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VOLBEAT – LONDON – LIVE REVIEW

Tonight is one of those rare occasions where you get to catch a big band in a smaller venue; this intimate show helping Volbeat to celebrate their latest album, ‘Servant of the Mind’.

Sold out instantly, it’s not a surprise to see the queue worming its way around the shopping centre that the O2 Academy Islington is held within.

Once inside, fans are already packed in like sardines before support act Benediction take to the stage. Once they do they are entrusted with a whole 45 minutes, which is handy given their lengthy back catalogue.

During this time, the band do their best to entertain and warm up the baying, crammed and sweaty crowd. By the end, they’ve done enough to earn themselves a solid round of applause.

Clearly though those in attendance are here for Volbeat and the band are given a heroes welcomes as they arrive on the stage. Diving straight into ‘The Devil’s Bleeding Crown’ and ‘Pelvis on Fire’, it doesn’t take them long to have the audience on a string.

Volbeat are a phenomenal live act with the addition of Rob Caggiano in 2013 really helping to take them to the next level. Newest member, bassist, Kaspar Boye Larsen is also now fully established and watching them move around the stage along with Michael Poulsen, you can’t help but feel the band has achieved optimum status.

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Volbeat – ‘Wait A Minute My Girl’

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The setlist tonight is a good career-spanning mix, but with an understandable focus on ‘Servant of the Mind’. ‘Wait A Minute My Girl’, ‘Temple of Ekur’, ‘Shotgun Blues’ and ‘Say No More’ all help to showcase another quality release from the group.

There are naturally huge responses to the likes of ‘Lola Montez’, ‘Sad Man’s Tongue’, ‘Dead but Rising’ and ‘Black Rose’. But really the entire time the band is on stage, the audience are lapping it up.

As we said at the start, it’s really great when you get to witness a big band in intimate surrounds and tonight has a special feel to it. A memorable night for fans is finally ended with a rousing rendition of ‘Still Counting’.

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My Chemical Romance

Stadium MK, Milton Keynes

Thursday 19th May 2022

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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE – MILTON KEYNES – LIVE REVIEW

It’s March 2013 and the following statement appears on the website of My Chemical Romance, breaking hearts around the world:

“Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would. We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.”

My Chemical Romance statement – March 2013

Fast forward to October 2019 and those hearts are sent racing with news that the band will reunite for a show in LA that December. Following that show many more shows are announced including three dates at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes. Of course just weeks later the world stopped as the pandemic took hold, and those shows fell by the wayside.

Finally, now in May 2022 the band can make their long awaited return to the UK; their show at the Eden Project just days ago being their first show on these shores since headlining Leeds Festival in August 2011.

So with the magnitude of these shows established let’s get into it! Stadium MK is the home to MK Dons Football Club, but has also become a popular destination for live music following an appearance from Rammstein back in 2019.

There is a great supporting bill in place this evening, with the hotly-tipped Witch Fever opening up proceedings. The band are able to grab the attention of the early crowd and hold it throughout their short but impressive set. The band will release their debut album in October, and after this performance that is certainly one to watch out for.

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Another reunited band is next as LostAlone return having split back in 2014. The band toured with My Chemical Romance early in their career, so it’s a nice touch to have them back on this show. Frontman Steven Battelle does a fantastic job getting the crowd warmed up and the band leave the stage victoriously having conquered their big return.

Main support comes from the incredible Placebo who have just released their first album in 9 years, ‘Never Let Me Go’. In true Placebo fashion the band don’t cater towards the crowd and for the first thirty or so minutes stick with a mix of new songs and obscurer tracks from their back catalogue.

As a huge fan of the band, their set is fantastic, but from the audience reaction those in attendance clearly want the hits. Finally the band oblige and close out their set with the likes of ‘For What It’s Worth’, ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Infra-red’. Placebo are defiantly going to do whatever they want to do, for some the results are stunning, for casual bystanders the results are somewhat lacklustre. Thankfully I’m in the first camp!

One thing for sure is that audience response levels are guaranteed to be high as we prepare now for our headline act. After a decade of inactivity and a couple of extra years of delay, it’s finally time for My Chemical Romance to hit the stage.

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My Chemical Romance – ‘The Foundations of Decay’

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The stadium erupts as they do, with singer Gerard Way taking the stage in blood spattered all white suit and mask for their new single, ‘The Foundations of Decay’. The noise levels then go through the non-existent roof with classic tracks ‘Helena’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell, Kid’.

With the band mixing the setlist up every night, fans are kept on their toes and that just adds to the general excitement, making the atmosphere inside the stadium as hot as it comes.

There are huge moments within the set, with ‘Teenagers’, ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘The Ghost of You’ all getting the entire stadium on their feet singing.

Then there are moments for the old school fans with deep cuts such as ‘It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Fucking Deathwish’ and ‘Skylines and Turnstiles’ featuring tonight.

It almost feels like the band has never been away, with the group typically cohesive yet brash. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, yet those with the band in their heart already hold them up as aloft as a godlike entity.

This return is only going to amplify that, but with showings like this the band are only going to solidify their position as one of the biggest on the planet.

‘Famous Last Words’ and ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ both feature towards the end and the band finally send fans home happy with ‘Vampire Money’. My Chemical Romance are back, hearts are healed and there are big things to come!

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The Treatment

J2, Cambridge

Thursday 28th April 2022

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THE TREATMENT – J2 CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW

All 📸 (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

Cambridge rockers The Treatment released their latest album, ‘Waiting For Good Luck’ a year ago now. With the country still in lockdown at the time, the band are only now getting to properly tour what is perhaps their best work.

As we talked about in our review of the album, constant line-up alterations have somewhat stifled the growth of the band. That is until now, and as the band discussed with us on The Full Pelt Music Podcast, they feel that they are entering a settled phase and are ready to push onwards and upwards once again.

‘Waiting For Good Luck’, was a positive indication but for rock musicians the bread and butter is in the live performance, so how are they holding up on that front? We head to the J2 in Cambridge to find out!

Read our review of ‘Waiting For Good Luck’

SOUTH OF SALEM

Opening up this evening are South of Salem who themselves have a pandemic era album to present. Tracks such as ‘Let Us Prey’, ‘Cold Day In Hell’ and ‘Demons Are Forever’ translate well on stage and get the early crowd suitably warmed up for what’s to follow.

PISTON

Hotly tipped rock group Piston follow on stage and ramp up the atmosphere further with a run through of tracks from their self-titled album. They finish their set with a rousing rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival hit ‘Proud Mary’, which really gets the audience in the party spirit.

THE TREATMENT

That party truly gets going as locals The Treatment finally arrive on stage. The five-piece burst straight into ‘Let’s Get Dirty’ and ‘Let It Begin’ as those in attendance really let go.

Musically the band are tight and quickly demonstrate that they are fighting fit with the likes of ‘Devil In The Detail’ and ‘The Doctor’ sounding great. All new songs fit in well and sound excellent with ‘Wrong Way’ particularly standing out.

The band is an established act now with a dedicated following, but they’ve always had the potential to do more. With latest frontman Tom Rampton owning the stage and the rest of the band cohesive and polished, hopefully that long held potential can finally become reality.

As for tonight, a firing on all cylinders The Treatment plus an excitable hometown crowd equals a very memorable evening; an encore of ‘Rat Race’ and ‘Running With The Dogs’ sending fans home happy.

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The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 5 – The Treatment

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Ghost

Resorts World Arena, Birmingham

Friday 15th April 2022

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GHOST – BIRMINGHAM – LIVE REVIEW

It may be Good Friday today but for hard rock fans heading to the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham it’s destined to be a great Friday! That’s because revered group Ghost are in town with their travelling theatre of the macabre.

Opening act on this tour is the American band Twin Temple who appear to have the knack for satanic imaginary and theatrics down much like our headliners. The bands short set is well received from the audience and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for a band who perhaps need to divert some more focus toward the musical side of their act.

Our next support band interestingly has the opposite focus. Whilst the lighting engineer does a great job, the heavy lifting for Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats is done by their music. A pretty experienced band now, they have no issue in delivering a rambunctiously rocking performance. On a night of the dramatic however, they run the risk of being out shadowed.

The reason for the enhanced excitement levels in Birmingham tonight though is because our headline act have managed to perfect both the musical and theatrical sides of their game.

Ghost aren’t an overnight success, they have spent a number of years honing their craft and earning their way into the country’s biggest venues. But now it feels as though they have everything in place to take themselves to the next level.

WATCH ‘CALL ME LITTLE SUNSHINE’ ON YOUTUBE
Ghost – ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’

Read our review of ‘Impera’ from Ghost

New album, ‘Impera’, arrived last month and continues the bands musical evolution into prolific rock hit makers. New tracks ‘Kaisarion’, ‘Hunter’s Moon’, ‘Spillways’ and ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ are all highlights tonight in a set list that is now wall to wall bangers as the kids would say.

Recent favourites such as ‘Mary on a Cross’ and ‘Kiss the Go-Goat’ mix well with older staples like ‘Rats’, ‘Cirice’, ‘Ritual’ and ‘Year Zero’. As we say, musically Ghost have built a formidable catalogue of stupendous live songs.

Combining this feast of musical treats with the well established show that the band are able to deliver with such ease makes them an exciting prospect. With the rock world calling out for new superstars, Ghost are surely amongst the best placed to take on the mantle of the old guard such as Brummie legends Black Sabbath.

An encore of sorts featuring their recent Metallica cover, ‘Enter Sandman’, plus the incredibly catchy finale of ‘Dance Macabre’ and ‘Square Hammer’, sends the crowd into the warm spring evening happy and in awe of the majesty that is Ghost.

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