Last weekend I went to another really great concert – this time it was Asking Alexandria who are currently touring together with Black Veil Brides.
Asking Alexandria is a British metalcore band from York, who originally formed in 2006 in Dubai as Amongst US but re-formed with the current members in England in 2008, changing the name to Asking Alexandria. Currently, the band comprises of lead vocalist Danny Worsnop who returned to the band after his short departure in 2015, lead guitarist Ben Bruce, lead guitarist Cameron Liddell, bassist player Sam Bettley and drummer James Cassells. So far, the quintet released five full-length albums which are ‘Stand Up And Scream’ (2009, Sumerian Records), ‘Reckless & Relentless’ (2011, Sumerian Records) which peaked at 7 on the UK Rock Charts, ‘From Death To Destiny’ (2013, Sumerian Records) which debuted at 5 on Billboards top 200, ‘The Black’ (2016, Sumerian Records) with Denis Stoff as lead vocalist after Danny left for a short period of time, and finally the self-titled fifth album ‘Asking Alexandria’ (2017, Sumerian Records). Furthermore, they released a limited-edition EP and DVD ‘Life Gone Wild’ (2010, Sumerian Records) with cover and footage of the band, as well as a remix album ‘Stepped Up And Scratched’ (2011, Sumerian Records) which contains remixes of their previous releases. Musically, Asking Alexandria’s style changed quite a lot over the years. Whereas the first two albums show influences of metalcore, screamo, post-hardcore and electronicore, the third album shows more influences of hard rock and heavy metal. The latest album has further stylistic shifts and incorporates influences of a wide pool of different genres such as stadium rock, hard rock and metal. Lyrically, the style changed from general ‘Sex, Drugs And Rock’n’Roll’ topics to a more mature and meaningful content. The lyrics of the latest album are about personal experiences and work up the bands past.
The o2 Academy Brixton, where the concert took place, opened its doors around 7pm for the audience which was very mixed. Asking Alexandria’s fan base consisted mainly of young adults at the beginning of their 20’s while Black Vail Bride’s fan base reached from teenagers younger than 14 years to adults who passed their 30’s. Nevertheless, there was a high energy in the crowd right from the start.
The first band of the evening was the German trancecore and metalcore band To The Rats And Wolves who were founded in 2012 in Essen, Germany. Currently the band consists of Nico Sallach (vocals), Dixi Wu (screamer), Danny Güldener (guitar), Marc Dobruk (guitar), Stanislaw Czywil (bass) and Simon Yildirim (drums). So far the band released their debut EP ‘Young.Used.Wasted’ in 2013 (self-release), followed by the debut album ‘Neverland’ in 2015 (self-release) and the second album ‘Deathroned’ in 2016 (Arising Empire). Musically, To The Rats And Wolves combine metalcore with electronic influences alongside both screamed and clean vocals which creates a heavy and unique sound. Being part of The Resurrection tour was the bands first time playing in England. Nonetheless, they captured the crowd right from the start and were blown away from the fan’s energetic engagement. All the members delivered a great performance both with their instruments and vocals. The crowd was highly motivated and jumped along, getting hyped for the two main bands.
The first of the two headlining bands was Asking Alexandria. Opening the show with their first single of the latest Album ‘Into The Fire’, they started directly with an explosive show. Every single member of the band was highly motivated and delivered an amazing performance and show. The fans sang on the top of their lungs, jumped, moshed and enjoyed themselves. Towards the end, the band slowed the set down a little bit and performed some songs acoustic, before ending the set with another explosion and one of their older songs ‘Death Of Me’. Danny’s vocal performance was absolutely amazing and better then ever. The rough and stripped down acoustic versions created a magical and vulnerable atmosphere in contrast to the rest of the show which was a big party with many lights and additional effects such as pyro, dust and confetti.
The last band on the stage was the American rock band Black Veil Brides from Cincinnati, Ohio. Formed in 2006, the quintet now consists of the only remaining founding member Andy Biersack (lead vocals), Ashley Purdy (bass), Jinxx (rhythm guitar, violin), Jake Pitts (lead guitar) and Christian ‘CC’ Coma (drums). Musically, their style changed from metalcore on their first album ‘We Stich These Wounds’ (2010, Standby Records), to glam metal and shock rock on their second and third albums ‘Set The world On Fire’ (2011, Universal / Island Records) and ‘Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones’ (2013, Universal / Island Records), to a more hard rock influenced style on their self-titled album ‘Black Veil Brides’ (2014, Universal / Island Records), as well as glam metal and pop rock influences on their latest album ‘Vale’ (2018, Universal / Island Records). Lyrically, the band writes about self-belief, standing up for oneself, having fun, living live and making the best of it. Especially their early stage outfits and makeup but also Andy’s dark and special voice are unique for the band. However, with the time, the outfits and makeup became more grown up and simple. Nonetheless, the performance and sow of the band is still big and ‘rock’n’roll’ alike. Black Veil Brides played a good mix of older as well as newer songs which was appreciated by their fans. During their set Jinxx performed not only with his guitar but also on the violin and keyboard for a few songs. The whole set was a great rock show with pyro and steam, keeping the energy levels high. This energy also swapped over to the crowd which sung along, jumped moshed and enjoyed the concert.
For all three sets, the acoustic was mixed well, and light shows were fitted to each band to create a supportive atmosphere. Overall, the concert was absolutely amazing, and I had a special time there. Not only the fans but also the bands seemed to have enjoyed their time on stage. The atmosphere for all three sets was great and the crowd was highly energised, as well as motivated. Asking Alexandria were better than ever, especially Danny’s vocal performance. All three bands had an amazing evening and were on point which was highly appreciated by the fans!
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A Special Time 