Unliving Pictour Show 2024 Lordi / All For Metal / Crimson Veil – Electric Ballroom, Camden - Your Online Magazine for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

Words: Lucy Walker

Pics: Adrian Hextall \ MindHex Media

Erm…it was Wednesday night and I found myself at Electric Ballroom in Camden surrounded by a very mixed crowd to see tonight’s show of what on paper looks like very similar aesthetically speaking bands.

I will say that after the show, someone mentioned the words ‘avant-garde’ and ‘cheesy’ for some of the bands so also not a run of the mill metal night.

Crimson Veil

I am going to start this with saying I apologise Crimson Veil as I did see you put your whole heart into the performance but seeing that you describe yourself as ‘dark progressive metal’, I struggled as really not a prog fan (probably my minimal attention span). I just could not connect with the performance. However, that was just me because looking at the crowd told me a different story. They knew what they were listening to and made all the right moves – nodding their heads, moving their bodies, and giving each song an enthusiastic cheer as they ended.

To be honest, their performance was very much a live installation art piece for me, and the word ‘avant-garde’ had been used to describe them afterwards. It was very experimental stuff and lead vocalist Mishkin Fitzgerald was almost ethereal in how she moved around her mic stand and her wails were quite ghostly. With the smoky lighting blurring everything on stage and other members of the band such as cellist Hana Piranha rocking a pair of horns, they definitely fitted in with the theme tonight.

The band started with ‘Ribbons’ and I love the heavy feel of the guitar’s opening chords, but it is the vocals. I felt like I was watching Yoko Ono trying to do a Bjork (thanks Chris Ryan for that). I was a big Hole fan back in the day even in their 1991 album ‘Pretty On The Inside’ where Courtney Love did not hit a lot of notes and I was not sure if Mishkin was aiming for the same message of non-conformity?

Strangely (well not really for me), the song I really enjoyed was ‘Flinch’ played near the end of their set. Mishkin’s harsh vocals were superb and really rammed home the performance. Even when she added in her wails, it added to the overall dark theme and worked brilliantly. I would love to see more like that.

Again, I am probably not best to review this band’s set and if more of the songs had been like ‘Flinch’, I probably would have been really into it. I think you need to go check out the band yourself due to their uniqueness. They are like Marmite – you either love it or hate it.

Setlist:

Ribbons

Shift

Painkiller

Flinch

Hex

All for Metal

Ooooh now we are talking! I saw All for Metal last year for the first time and even though I was being a weakling and feeling icky, I did love the little I saw. Getting the chance to see them again and feeling 100% was glorious and not gonna lie – I did jiggle a lot with a big smile on my face thoroughly enjoying the story they were telling. This whole night feeds into my urban fantasy world even if they have a Viking look.

The vibe had already increased to excitement and felt happy. I feel like there were All For Metal fans in the audience. The cheers started, the music began, and the band pumped their fists in the air each time the cymbals crashed, and the lights flashed like lightening. The drums started a beat, and with the deep roar of Tetzel Wagner and the beautifully sweet tenor sound sailing out of Antonio Calanna. My heart leapt and if I were marching off into battle with my axe and shield, I would expect to be listening to this on my earbuds along the way (urban fantasy reader remember – we have technology).

The whole look of the band appeals to me even though I know it is meant to resemble the Vikings – they have a song called ‘Born in Valhalla’ after all – but it is the power of the music and the contrast in the lead vocalists’ voices that make this band so special. It is also fun fun fun!! Watching Jasmin Pabst on guitar with Tim Hansen also on guitar, banging their heads and grinning at each other brought a smile to my face. It just felt like a Valhalla party! Tim, whose father you may know as Kai Hansen from Helloween, is standing in for Ursula Zanichelli who is not able to take part in the tour until the 18^th (day job constraints – boo).

The band played all the favourites such as ‘Raise Your Hammer’ though sadly no Ursula tonight to prove her strength lifting Tetzel’s hammer. When they played ‘Born in Valhalla’, the crowd sang along including my tog friend Adrian (his photos) doing a good woah woah moment. Antonio demanded we sing along so we obeyed. I think Antonio’s voice on this song is incredible.

We were also treated to a song from their upcoming album … which comes out on 23^rd August. The track ‘Gods of Metal’ gives us more of the All For Metal formula but this is definitely not a bad thing. The thing with them is that you can feel part of it and this song gave us plenty of opportunities to sing along – there is the obligatory woah woah woah which everyone knows you have to sing – ‘tis the rules after all.

With their Goddesses of War (minus 1) including their epic dancers, I was told this was cheesy but I completely disagree – It was just plain fun and there is no way I will ever pass up an opportunity to see them. If you get the chance, take it. The crowd absolutely adored this tonight!

And bring your sword and shield…

Setlist:

All for Metal

Fury of the Gods

Raise Your Hammer

Born in Valhalla

Prophecy of Hope

Mountain of Power

Hear the Drum

Gods of Metal

Goddess of War

Lordi

Breaking news! Lordi played their Eurovision winning song tonight. Oh wait they probably always do. Now this is not me being critical because if a band has an iconic song which this is, they should always play it as the fans want it. I just wanted to the get the E word out of the way and note that out of the many years of watching Eurovision, never expected to actually ever see any contestants performing live. Sorry Bucks Fizz.

I met a lovely person tonight who had never seen Lordi and was a big fan. Standing next to him as he went back and forth to look at the stage, banging his head, sing along and talk excitedly to me about their music was so heartwarming and completely describes the atmosphere here in Electric Ballroom. A very excited and feelgood vibe which boosted by the incredible and wildly entertaining set from All For Metal. I expected a lot.

Which kind of sucked with the first song they chose. Don’t get me wrong or think that I am about to pan the whole performance. I am not as it was brilliant and so enjoyable but for their first song, it was a bit…lacklustre. A bit quiet. A bit…dull?

Was this an overhang from the previous band’s energy which had set up our expectations? Not sure really but after all the exuberance and banging of heads and fist pumping and bouncing, it would have been nice to pen with a banger.

With such a large back catalogue to choose from (they released 7 albums in one day I hear), I can imagine the struggle to choose songs normally…

…but then we hear the voice of Ralph Ruiz and his spooky intro from last year’s release of ‘Screem Writers Guild’ and ‘Unliving Picture Show’. This is what I had come for, the theatre, just the sheer European metal with a chorus that sticks in your head. Spooky stuff!

My favourite was and still is ‘My Heaven is Your Hell’. The riff is incredible, and I enjoyed this so much as did the crowd. Honestly it was brilliant that everyone from the front to back were involved in this gig as I have been to many where all the support and just jumping to the tracks takes place at the front. Mr Lordi and gang manage to involve everyone including little old me by the bar.

I don’t know Lordi enough to give a detailed description of each song which I am sure you are grateful for but as we wove through each track, it was such a perfect moment of theatre and incredibly fun to take part in. Mr Lordi and co were masters of keeping the audience with them and ensuring the audience love just kept on coming.

We had many solos such as drums (yay), keyboards (why) and of course guitars (again yay) and I think I heard the Top Gun theme but maybe I just imagined it? I kept hearing influences from everywhere even ABBA. Even now I am not sure if the bass solo was from Jurassic Park and feel like that was whispered (shouted) in my ear. [It was – Ed]

Ooh and ‘Devil Is A Loser’ is also a fave now and has such an 80s feel. The guitars gave me hair metal vibes even with Mr Lordi’s distinctive voice. I loved the chorus and caught myself singing it all the way home. I was dancing so much by this point and didn’t care.

And of course, we come to the end where Mr Lordi waits by the side of the stage for everyone to call him back and perform the track they have all been waiting for. As if we wouldn’t (he was going to come back anyway) and he didn’t disappoint. I would say that the crowd erupted, and all began nodding heads harder and fists in the air but they had been doing that for most of the gig. It was obvious that this was what they wanted even after 18 years and that is how we ended the night.

For a light-hearted horror show, you can’t go wrong with Lordi and with the other two bands along for the ride, I will be back (especially All For Metal).