Words by Tanita Hingerty, photos by Chelsea Savage.

Upon entering the venue, it is dimly lit and seems wildly small for the names that are playing tonight; considering how much each band has contributed to shaping the Metal Music scenes. The stage is cluttered with amps and equipment, all in preparation for four bands and their fandoms coming together for one night in London. 

There is Metalcore, 90’s and Club Music playing on a loop, the amps are powerful, I can feel the beat in my non-existent Adam’s apple, and the crowd is eager for the acts to begin. 

Guilt Trip

Guilt Trip from Manchester is first up, they arrive on stage with cheeky grins. “Morning Glory” by Oasis is playing, then there is an explosion of musical noise, and the lead singer is shouting to urge the crowd to “open the dance floor”. Mismatched band members are seeking approval from the crowd in a nonchalant way. The high riffs on the guitar are matched with low growls from vocals and it makes for a creative kind of chaos. The crowd lacks enthusiasm at first and the room’s already pretty full. But by the time Guilt Trip are three songs in, the crowd are giving it their all with some very effective Ninja moshing. 

There’s two-stepping, bass thumping and drill beats mimicking a quickening heartbeat. We come to realise that this band is the crowd surfers warm-up. Northern hardcore never sounded so good. Despite the stage being crowded with equipment they still make good use of it. Flashing lights match the rhythm of their headbanging. Disgustingly heavy in the best way. Unpredictable set with drum beats in our chests, we feel so grounded until we’re knocked off our feet in the mosh pit.

Like Moths to Flames

Like Moths to Flames from Ohio has not played a show in the UK for 10 years, fans had a suspenseful wait and there are a few in the audience… It is the most chaotic set. We feel like we’ve been force-fed a pure adrenaline-filled energy drink. The lead singer’s movements around the stage are crazy, he states to the crowd “Either your hands or feet need to go up, idgaf” and the crowd delivers. Inward inhale screams of the lead singer are sometimes overshadowed by the loudness of the guitars, bass and drums. A mix of old and new songs, all well-received. 

The lead singer becomes tangled in stage wires…swiftly moving on, this man is unstoppable. The band are matching his energy by headbanging sideways while playing, a beautifully synchronised sight to see. The lead singer at times has delicate hand movements that go perfectly with the flow of his madness and it seems his hand movements are warning us of what’s yet to come…intense vocals. The crowd is locked in and engaged, jumping in unison. He is now Ninja moshing caught in wires but nothing is stopping his vocal range while moving like he’s swimming, fighting against a current but an Olympic at that. Their set was like the buzzing where your light bulb is about to go out and it’s flickering but then it comes back on brighter than ever and gives you a bit of a fright. 

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada, also from Ohio, is a much-anticipated band for tonight’s lineup. A voice-over plays “For maximum enjoyment, we now ask that you begin to open up the pit” …One has already formed in expectancy. The stage envelopes in smoke and it is now less cluttered, more stripped back and the room seems to grow wider. 

They enter the stage and the crowd is loud. A lot is going on all at once but in the most ideal way. They move so differently but perfectly together. Synchronised chaos. Music and screams, highs and lows, such versatility. Dramatic pauses for effect in lyrics, and the crowd fills them in. The lead singer seems to be in his world, we want to be in it. Melodic daydreaming. This band multi-tasks throughout the set, members never take a break, two-stepping before their perfectly timed queues back into playing perfectly. The lead singer holds his guitar over his head while not singing and at times playing while delivering the lyrics. The guitar/vocalist’s head bangs so hard his hat falls off, but he does not care. CHAOS. There’s some drum and bass mashed in and for a song, we feel like we’re at a Mosh rave. 

We are mesmerised by their talent, passion, stage presence, beautiful energy and how the band communicates with each other using only body language, they know each other well musically. Each of them is essential to their sound, the keyboard ties it all together, completes it and makes them so very special. They play a mix of tearjerkers and heavier hits. They come off as charismatic, humble and engaging with the crowd. Never seen someone (lead singer) punch the air in such a beautiful way. So much energy on stage at once.

It was an emotional set that I feel was imperative in healing a lot of inner teenagers in the crowd. Emotions are pouring out of the band and fans, you can hear it in their voices. Strained but strong. Melodic keyboard notes emphasise beating hearts and the unique love people feel for The Devil Wears Prada. There is something very special about the way they move on stage, you can feel the passion coming out of their pores. One of the best bands I’ve ever seen live.

Landmvrks

Landmvrks, from Marseille in France, are the main act tonight. The stage now somehow looks huge. The way it is set up, the backdrop, the lights- perfection. There are claw marks like rips in material, glowing eyes and a huge letter “V” buzzing, created by lights. This is their  “Creatures” tour and the stage is themed. 

The “V” is now in red illuminated by heavy blue tones surrounding it, and it begins flashing with lightning going through it, there are sounds of a heartbeat and a storm on a backing track. The V turns bright yellow, there’s crackled lightning, sparkles and suspense. There’s a loud sound of glass shattering, strings on a violin being twanged and dramatic music playing.

It feels like the crowd took a big deep breath together, braced themselves and just as we exhaled… SMASH. Sounds of metal clanking turn into a hip-hop beat, the lead singer emerges, rapping in French and we gasp. We inhale again and the rest of the band take the stage. A lot is happening all at once, rich screaming metal vocals then back to rapping, back and forth, back and forth, the rest of the band screams and growls, the fluctuations between rapping, singing and screaming are insane. Overwhelming in the best kind of way. Flashing lights, smoke, so much noise- powerful and daunting. Their presence is huge. 

All their movements are perfected but also seem non-rehearsed. Effortlessly good.

Opening with the song “Creature”- makes sense. We forget to breathe, we’re so in awe. The sounds are spooky-themed, voiceovers about “doctors’ creations..” play. They play “Death” and the crowd screams back at the band “Every day I feel like DEATH” It is stuck in our heads for days. So unnecessarily heavy we can feel it in our souls. 

And breathe…

Though there’s been a lot of energy spent and a lot to take in, it’s like we’ve been reawakened with Landmvrks presence. Crowd surfers are welcomed with open arms for their set and there are many.

The band have a great rapport with each other on stage, at times the guitar and bass player share mics and it makes for a powerful, complex and tangled sound. There’s lots of stomping and spinning. The way the band bounce together, we wonder are there hidden springs underneath the floor. 

Their movements are onbeat and harsh.

The lead singer is now rapping in double time. It is incredible, he is severely talented… the way he can go from rapping 90 miles an hour to screaming gutturally and then singing beautifully while all so effortlessly in transition is something we’ve never known before. We’re unsure of when he is taking the time to breathe. He was never out of breath and never out of key. Punchlines are fierce and on the heavy metal beat. 

We have never seen a circle pit form to double time rapping before and it is so unique. Marseille in France is one of the places where great Hip Hop has originated so it makes sense that this is such a huge part of their sound. 

Spinning circle pits and elusive daydreams begin. 

The band makes security nervous, as does the crowd, it seems as if we have never witnessed anything quite like this. 

And breathe…

They play “Suffocate” for the first time live and the first half is acoustic. The lead singer’s voice is stunning and controlled. It was a beautiful surprise and the song shows off his voice. The flawless transition from acoustic to full-on. Unpredictable like an ocean, calm at once and then sudden crashing waves.

More rapping in French to the beat of the live drums- the isolated vocals were so beautiful and meaningful. We can understand the emotion without understanding the language but we need to google translate asap as we need to know. The sea of people bouncing to hip-hop beats quickly turns to mosh pits, the versatility of this show is unparalleled. 

When they’re melodic, they’re melodic, when they’re heavy- holy shit. 

The band present powerful masculinity but in a graceful way on stage. We love how unique they are. We love how they combine everything so effortlessly. The flashing strobe lights match the intense sounds which have so many twists and turns. The band is super talented and majorly energetic; they have a lot to give and give it their all. 

The encore felt very pressurised. Guttural low growls while the band are running in all directions of the stage not sure where to go but it works. They’re stomping laps around the stage; high energy delivered. 

Darkness consumes the once bright lights that have now been dimmed, and the band turns to silhouettes and outlines of themselves. 

The lead singer announces the end by saying  “Merci beaucoup” We get a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs as they leave the stage.  

We were taken out of our creature comforts and on an insanely wild tour tonight, blown away by the talent and amount of incredible bands for one night at a low ticket price.

This whole show from performers was heavy but fun, melodic and chaotic, intense and stable, the perfect balance. The same goes for us in the audience, we acted appropriately and on cue. There was no way you could attend this show and not fall in love with one, if not all of these bands.