PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
As I arrived on a weeknight to one of my (very) local music arenas, The Slade Rooms to see Glamour Of The Kill, a security guard joked about not being able to come in because the first band are currently playing. Holy crap – I thought doors opened at 7pm; that was fast!
With that followed by a photo pass failure and finally solving the issue, I rushed into the photo pit for the first support of the night, Ashes. Luckily I arrived during Live Like We Mean It so I didn’t miss a hell of a lot. Despite the slight distortion from the bass the one thing that stood out for me about this band was the ludicrous energy from vocalist Jonny Meaney. With the ability to roar his way through the short set to such a small crowd, especially through the last two tracks, Alive and Broken, that is what makes Ashes who they are. The Manchester boys have done a good job of kick-starting the evening, it gave us a taster of what was to come.
Described as ‘Perfect Crossover Rock’ and forged in The Black Country (Wahay), EofE took to the stage. Having formed in 2013, and supported McBusted and The Vamps on both their tours last year, the young lads have done remarkably well in such a short period of time. Having found this out after the show, I wasn’t surprised by their stage presence and I’m not saying that in a bad way. Blasting through the set list, Stars In Hollywood and Only Get Better were the songs that made the set for me. With a hair do similar to mine, vocalist Tom Harris brings beauty to the band with his impressively smooth modulated voice that shows the true spirit of Pop Rock.
Hype Theory were the final and headlining support band of the evening, bringing in their Essex charm to the West Midlands. With a solid performance, vocalist Katy Jackson is the attraction of the band with her Hayley Williams a-like attitude and tone in her voice but what did it for me was her interaction with the crowd. ‘C’mon, don’t be boring!’ – I couldn’t have put it better myself. Their attempts to liven up the crowd especially with her crazily photogenic guitarist who took me by surprise was a 100% win for me – Whether the Wulfrunians were impressed or not is beyond me. Don’t worry guys, my dog Jäger was born in Essex so she would’ve loved you.
The atmosphere throughout the night was an “off” one for those who attended and all three supports did their best to cajole any enthusiasm from the crowd. This is where Glamour Of The Kill made their appearance. With their recent attendance at Slade Rooms last October along with New Years Day supporting Escape The Fate, GOTK made a remarkable return to the stage promoting their recent EP release ‘After Hours’. The last time I saw GOTK they were a support act for Heaven’s Basement last year and I had the opportunity to see what the deal is with this band, considering they added me on Myspace once upon a time. With not much listening experience with their music, I can honestly say I was more than impressed with their set. When I heard they were going to be playing one minute away from where I live, I jumped straight at the chance to catch them again. Could they up their performance from last time?
The atmosphere had risen an incredible amount and everyone was hungry for a party. The fine Yorkshire lads (bar Mike of course) sure know how to do just that. With Davey Richmond alternating between vocals and bass, he completely caught me off guard during Break when he jumped into the pit to sing to the crowd and as I was about to take a photograph, I felt an arm around me and I ended up singing along with him. Not that I was complaining!
Performing tracks, old and new, including recent releases Blood Drunk and Lights Down the people of Wolverhampton were highly intoxicated on party metal and colourful lighting. The overall set was rammed with special moments such as a bra being thrown at the stage, to the band getting someone from the crowd to buy them some shots, to the raucous harmonising from the rest of the band and everything else in between. Bar the loud distortion halfway through the set, nothing else can be faulted. So the answer to my question asked earlier – Yes, they were certainly on game and lived up to everyone’s expectations. Until next time, guys. I will buy the Tequilas next time because, why not?
GOTK Set List:
Out Of Control
If Only She Knew
Second Chance
Earthquake
Break
We Are All Cursed
A Freak Like Me
Blood Drunk
Live For The Weekend
A Hope In Hell
Lights Down
Love Gun (KISS Cover)
Feeling Alive
