Devils Night: Creeper and Black Veil Brides at OVO Arena Wembley, London

Photos by Nick Davarias

Black Veil Brides and Creeper teamed up to put on a spooky show at OVO Arena Wembley on 30th October 2024, a venue that typically exceeds their usual performance scale. The night was full of nearly four hours of live music, blasting riffs, mighty vocals and a buzzing atmosphere. 

Choir Noir

Kicking off the evening, very fittingly were Choir Noir. An army of darkly dressed individuals took to the stage. Heads down, with a ghostly walk they instantly captured the essence of the evening well. The crowd welcomed their eerie entrance as they figured out exactly what song was being sung. As the chorus hit it was clearly their version of Bring Me The Horizons ‘Shadow Moses’. The usual heavy screams were replaced with dreamy layered vocals.

They ranged in power adding a dynamic element to their set, all very enthusiastically conducted. They performed a range of covers, another stand out being a cover of ‘Doomsday’ by Architects. Moving around the stage, they showcased a collection of talented vocalists. Going all out with their aesthetic and vocal displays, Choir Noir were a great way to get the atmosphere right and the anticipation built. 

Creeper

Next up was powerhouse Creeper, their gothic spooky backdrop setting the scene. As soon as a low humming and hard-hitting bass erupted from the speakers the crowd instantly lit up. We were greeted with an introduction from Darcia the Vampire Familiar full of head puns as we were told eerie details of the set ‘ahead’ as she held a beheaded head by her side, perfect for the already established spooky theme. 

Then they were on. Intense bass and clear, intentional eye contact began as the members impressively made use of the stage space right from the get-go. Entering the stage, it was easy to see just what natural performers Creeper are, as they opened with the powerful ‘Further Than Forever’. Their outfits and makeup only added to their performance and showed just how much Creeper valued putting on a show, not just playing music. 

It wasn’t long before a sea of devil hands took to the air during ‘Sacred Blasphemy’ and Creeper became a Creeper cult. As if their stage show couldn’t get any better, dancers joined the stage for a murder skit and vocalist Will Gould had the crowd chanting with him.

‘Are you tired already?’ was asked mid set which was followed with a resounding no from the crowd then, ‘are you down with the devil?’ which warranted a clear excitable cheer. We were then treated to our first drum solo of the evening, thunderous and captivating. 

They slowed the set down with ‘Crickets’ and member Hannah Greenwood took centre stage showcasing her vocal talents as phone lights illuminated the room. Bringing the energy back up a circle pit opened and crowd surfing began.

The most touching moment came when they had the live debut of ‘More Than Death’, Will dedicating it to his mum’s friend Steve who recently passed. Such a moving performance with a great piano arrangement. 

‘Misery’ had the crowd singing the chorus without encouragement and the delight from the stage showed just how much Creeper appreciated their fans as they touched on ‘fighting their way out of pubs and clubs for years’ thanking the audience for making this happen. ‘Cry To Heaven’ ended their set with one final show of energy full of fire both through sound and literally.

Creeper’s set was well rounded and thought out, showcasing their signature rock style with elements of fantasy. Their riffs were made to be showcased in an arena, and the band were experts at utilising the stage. They clearly captured a range of emotions throughout and made it obvious how much they genuinely appreciated the opportunity to be there. 

Black Veil Brides

Dressed in all black, Black Veil Brides arrived with ‘Faithless’ fire blazing and an absolute kicker of a drum beat. Andy Black didn’t wait a minute before showing his talent with a roaring scream.

Making the most of the fire, they powered into ‘Heart of Fire’. Clearly warmed up, the members dotted about the stage space, headbanging in time with the crowd and cheers only got louder as Andy changed from the black leather jacket to a leather vest.

They remarked that London and the U.K. ‘more than any place else in the world, showed Black Veil Brides love’ and ‘truly gave them a career’. Radiating gratefulness and pride, it made for even more of an emotive start. 

Their set was carefully crafted including a varied selection of new and old tracks. ‘New Religion’, referred to as a deep cut, came to life live and ‘Rebel Love Song’ had the crowd chanting, before we were lucky enough to have a second drum solo of the evening, this time presented by CC. 

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We got to solely appreciate his incredible talent for just over a minute as he tore into the kit. Midway through a trumpet track played unexpectedly morphing into a mariachi band style and then transforming the arena with a techno track that felt like you’d entered a rave. He prowled around the stage before charismatically returning to the kit, standing on it, head banging and finishing off the solo – a standout moment of the set.

Coming back for the encore, they were joined by Andy’s wife Lilith Czar for an emotional performance of ‘Lost It All’. Their combined vocals worked perfectly alongside each other for an emotional close as the confetti cannons exploded. Guitarist Jinxx had an infectious presence, spending the show looking into the crowd and a notable moment being his impressive violin playing toward the end.

Finally, seemingly what a lot of the room had been waiting for was the classic ‘In The End’ and it did not disappoint. Without a dip in energy, this track was a great choice to close the show. 

Black Veil Brides know how to perform. Their set was an hour and a half of blazing riffs, hard-hitting drums, a sea of headbanging and striking vocals. The band made it clear that they appreciate their fans from start to finish throughout their powerful show and Andy Black took moments to reminisce and thank fans for sticking with the band. Exiting the stage to the last of the pouring confetti it was obvious that the room’s atmosphere continued to stay on a high after the great lineup.

Artists: Black Veil Brides, Choir Noir, Creeper