Review and Pics by Mark Lloyd
With an amazing new album, The Strange Case of Halestorm, to promote, Halestorm fans have a hell of a lot to look forward to over the next few months as they kick off with their very first UK headline tour.
The evening began with the enigmatic Zico Chain, and what a start! This three-piece hailing from London grabbed the crowd by the balls and got everyone’s attention. Chris Glithero’s stage presence is second-to-none. His vocals are incredible and with his amazing bass skills, this guy is a force to be reckoned with. From the anthemic ‘Real Life’ to the beautiful ‘More Than Life’, the energy and interaction between the band and the audience was electric and these guys deserve every success. To top it off, they’re three of the most down to earth guys you could meet. Grab a copy of their awesome album The Devil Inside now!
Next up were Heavens Basement, a British band with a pretty amazing back catalogue of gig support slots including Papa Roach, Buckcherry and Bon Jovi, to name but a few. This band don’t disappoint and musically they are solid with a guitarist with enough talent to make the best seethe with envy. Having suffered several line-up changes, Aaron is the complete opposite from their original singer Richie and his mannerisms don’t quite fit with the band’s image at all. Vocally, I can’t fault Aaron at all, but at times it felt like we were watching The Darkness. That being said, the band played a powerful, in-your-face set and their new single ‘Fire Fire’ is quality. With a massive following in tonight’s crowd – deservedly so – the next 12 months will be very interesting for these guys…
And then it was time for the eagerly anticipated Halestorm, who without doubt are one of the most dynamic and fan orientated bands I have seen in a long time. Kicking off with the awesome single ‘Love Bites (But So Do I)’, Lzzy literally exudes the music. She truly connected with every member of the audience and made them feel like she was performing just for them. Every song was high energy and the whole band were just at home on stage.
Heading straight into the schizophrenic ‘Mz Hyde’, Lzzy gave everyone a sneaky peak into the depths of her soul. Snarling and belting her way through the high energy numbers, Lzzy worked the crowd into a frenzy before slowing the pace right down with a piano solo for the stunningly beautiful ‘Break In’.
The energy picked right back up again with ‘Poison’ and ‘Rock Show’ before Arejay embarked on a frightening 6 minute drum solo. Playing with sticks to playing with his hands before moving onto playing with giant umbrellas, his talent is remarkable. His ‘Animal’ nickname is much deserved…
Closing with their massive hit, ‘I Get Off’ before the astounding encore of the anthemic ‘Here’s To Us’, this was a truly rocking and intimate gig. Halestorm have come a long way since I first saw them on the Taste of Chaos Tour in 2010. And long may it continue!
And you can see more of Mark’s pics from the show here:
