As I arrived to see a band I hadn’t seen live for over a decade the excitement was palpable, Kk’s was already filling up as soon as the doors were open. I saw lots of familiar and unfamiliar faces of all ages, everyone was here to see the Italian maestro’s rock this great venue. For me the last time I saw them was a disappointment, only because me and a friend were originally there to see another band who had dropped out at the last moment and Lacuna were kind enough to fill in for them. However, tonight was going to be a different kind of night, tonight I was here to review Lacuna Coil and their support band Blind Channel from Finland not for anyone else.
As I placed myself up against the barrier, I could feel we all could be in for a great night, as I took a look around and saw the delight of everyone around me. Let’s see how the night progressed… Blind Channel a Finnish band came out they were excitable and very much raring to go. They are a combination of emo, nu metal, screamo and metalcore but you can tell they are heavily inspired by bands such as Linkin Park.
They opened the show getting the crowd involved in various ways, despite their unknown status in the UK they were part of Eurovision for Finland in 2021. The crowd took to them extremely well, I did seem to see that they had brought a few fans with them who knew a couple of their songs. They got the crowd fired up plenty of head banging and dancing, along with some keyboard and guitar solos with a mixture of electronic music. DEADZONE their first track got the crowd headbanging and everyone up for the night right from the start. Another few songs in and they switched to a ballad where the ones who knew it right away, got their phones out.
DIE ANOTHER DAY it was called it was emotionally evocative, I must also say their professionalism was extremely high. During said ballad one of the singer’s microphones completely cut out, so the other one picked up acapella style for him until the problem was resolved. Then the rest of the band when called upon, seamlessly transitioned into the song very well not long after they also did a very heavy cover of BYOB by System of a Down which got the whole place rocking. Then even more so funnily enough Backstreet Boys track Everybody, they finished off their set with a song called DARK SIDE. This had some very relatable lyrics to do with mental health issues, a great song to finish their part of the show. They were a good start to the show to get everyone eager to see Lacuna Coil.
Lacuna Coil didn’t make the crowd wait long, around half an hour later they hit the stage with thunderous applause accompanying them. What I do appreciate about Lacuna Coil is they do what is expected of a rock band in their dress sense, but the black and white face paint is cool and makes a band of this type unique, I’m sure inspiration has come black metal corpse paint with this. I also appreciate Cristina; she doesn’t really do pageantry on stage in the way she dresses and leaves it for the music videos. She simply dresses comfortably puts on a little bit of make up and lets her awesome voice do the work.
The opening song BLOOD, TEARS, DUST from the critically acclaimed album Delirium has an electronic intro then jumps straight into guttural riffs and Andreas roaring vocals and then Cristina coming in on the chorus. As Andrea and Cristina’s voices intertwined like a serenading Beauty and a Beast during the chorus, I could feel we were in for a treat. Straight after the first song the whole venue was rocking and exploding with energy. Next up is RECKLESS from the album Black Anima, this song really explores just how incredibly diverse Cristinas voice is, she really did hit those at every point during the song very well played.
Next up is APOCALYPSE again wonderfully played the voices intertwining, complimenting each other at every turn. The rhythmic drumbeats, the roaring guitars just wow! Another hit with the crowd too everyone singing, dancing and headbanging a real pleasure. During a small interval Cristina talks to the crowd and has a couple of funny interactions with some of the louder people. She is very charismatic, and you can tell she is so comfortable with all sorts of crowd interactions. What I also enjoyed was the big screens Kk’s had put up, this meant people who weren’t as familiar with the band as others could follow the lyrics well and watch the music videos.
TRIP THE DARKNESS, was next up the only song played from the album Dark Adrenaline. A very big crowd favourite everyone was singing every word, people swaying this one is more melodic than the previous heavier tracks that have been played. The crowd found the fact they played this one endearing and were enjoying the moment.
Another small interval to talk about the new album coming out on the 14th February 2025 which is of course valentines day, which Cristina joked about ‘feeling the love’ and hoped we would share the love and buy SLEEPLESS EMPIRE. The brand-new track was called OXYGEN and it did not disappoint, the lyrics explored inner conflicts and emotional instability. The inability to breathe in toxic environments, the anger that comes with that. A song that touches the heart in many ways that would evoke that kind of emotion, the band were excellent. You could tell they were putting everything into this one so you could feel it with them.
The guitarist and composer Marco who is synonymous with Lacuna Coil as one of the founding members, is still as passionate about playing as he was back in 1994 when the band began which is always great to see. LAYERS OF TIME was up next another guttural yet wonderful track was blasted out jubilantly and done well by the band. Then came OUR TRUTH a huge fan favourite which had people jumping up and down as soon as Cristinas haunting vocals began. From the critically acclaimed album KARMACODE, this song was done fabulously by all the band and had the crowd completely enthralled.
ENTWINED another great song melodically touching, made everyone sway gently not one person was standing still now. Now my personal favourite Lacuna song HEAVENS A LIE came on, always pulls on my heart strings despite it being quite a heavy song and I wasn’t the only one. IN THE MEANTIME, really highlights Andreas’s vocals live he is the forefront in this song as his low bassy growls echoed throughout the venue.
A huge highlight for the whole crowd including myself was when Lacuna spoke about Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe, and the absolutely fantastic song he put together with them HOSTING THE SHADOW. Andrea did a superb job yet again on Randy’s parts of this guttural, impressive, outstanding song. Everyone was rocking and the mosh pit was really going for it, everyone including the band was completely in the moment. As I looked around and the atmosphere was electric, it hit me what a great night this had been, and Lacuna Coil were just improving with age like a fine Italian wine.
NEVER DAWN was up next another showcase if Cristina’s as incredible vocal range as she hit every single note. Then there was the highlight for every person of every age and creed, the incredible cover of ENJOY THE SILENCE by Depeche Mode. Forever in my opinion one of the greatest covers ever done, the entire crowd sang loudly alongside the band, and everyone was entranced. It was an unforgettable moment…
Not long after came the encore beginning with AEON a beautiful acoustic short track with Cristinas stunning voice as the forefront. It was well done to say the least, this led into TIGHTROPE very well as they do on the infamous album Comalies. Then came another fan favourite SWAMPED and as the show was coming to a close the band were just as energized as they were at the beginning. SWAMPED was of course done well and enjoyed by all, Cristina went into a speech about mental health and never giving up. Which was inspirational to everyone and led into the last song really well, it was the brilliant NOTHING STANDS IN OUR WAY.
This was a wonderful and memorable night, the crowd were ardent for every song because the band were brilliantly interactive and showcased their incredible talent. Everyone walked away smiling and talking about the supremely talented Lacuna Coil, long may they reign.
Setlist:
Blood, Tears, Dust
Reckless
Apocalypse
Trip the Darkness
Oxygen
Layers of Time
Our Truth
Entwined XX
Heaven’s a Lie XX
In The Mean Time
Hosting the Shadow
Never Dawn
Enjoy the Silence
(Depeche Mode cover)
Encore:
Aeon XX
Tight Rope XX
Swamped XX
Nothing Stands in Our Way
LACUNA COIL
