Bullet For My Valentine / Bring Me The Horizon / Gojira -
live @ Belsonic, Custom House Square, Belfast, 26/08/13
After the outstanding ‘Belsonic’ show Nine Inch Nails performed in Custom House Square just 5 days previous, my expectations for the remaining events I was attending during this year’s festival were ground level. I used to be a BFMV fan when I was younger and less enlightened, having discovered them through friends who were more into their modern metal music than I was. Hearing that they were headlining at Belsonic 2013 was quite a surprise, I always knew they were popular but it was the support bands – French metallers ‘Gojira’ and Sheffield Hardcore outfit ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ who made it more of a draw to me and many others making the effort to turn up tonight.
I came across French metal outfit Gojira via the usual satellite TV/ press route, and I definitely liked what I was hearing. Seeing that they’d been added to a Belfast festival bill was a treat for me, and judging by tonight’s crowd - they seemed to have brought many loyal followers from both the North and South along with them. Gojira came onstage after 7pm to a rowdy reception, such was the excitement being generated in the crowd by the punters in anticipation of what was to come opened up the pits before the band had even struck a note. With aggressive vocals, heavy thrashing guitar lines, brutal breakdowns, booming bass & drums and complex song structures – they ripped through their 45 minute set, kicking off the mosher’s exercise regime for today in true thrasher style with songs that do exactly what it say’s on the tin such as ‘L’enfant Sauvage’ and the appropriately titled ‘Explosia’ with its erm… “explosive” (sorry) riffage and crowd reaction to match [see what I did there?]. Gojira were in top form, setting the bar extremely high for those set to follow.
Bring Me The Horizon are certainly no strangers to Belfast, having first playing here back in 2009 as part of the Kerrang Tour (I was there!), and returning to headline a below par show at the QUB Mandela Hall in 2011 (unfortunately I was there for this one as well). I’m just going to get straight to the point with this one – BMTH owned Belsonic tonight and tore Bullet For My Valentine a large gapping new one where after the gig, the unanimous crowd opinion was that they should’ve been tonight’s headliner. The release of their new more melodic & electronic album ‘Sempiternal’ caused a nasty split in the BMTH fanbase [which in my opinion is fantastic and shows that they’ve matured, going away from the more generic dead end metalcore style], my interest in the band was reignited and I was actually excited about seeing them again after the previously mentioned disappointing performance they put on last time they were over here.
Arriving on-stage at 8pm to the intro atmospherics of their single ‘Shadow Moses’, the crowd were already hyped up from Gojira, pushing down towards the barrier and shouting the lyrics back at the former ‘Bring Me The Hair Straighteners’ now curly haired frontman Oli Sykes who was already standing on the barrier before the whole band sent a shockwave of noise through the air, causing a sustained and reckless crowd reaction which lasted right through their whole set. Everything from large circle pits and walls of death, to getting the whole crowd [staff included] on their knees. Bring Me The Horizon had Belsonic by the balls, and they were squeezing those gonads very hard. This was a well chosen crowd pleasing set of old and new tunes. The energy being generated from that stage by the band was off the scale, and the high on teenage adrenaline crowd were going crazy!
Highlights of their set include the Sempiternal anthem “Sleepwalking”, the set closer “Anti-vist” and my personal favourite, the heavily electronica influenced “Can You Feel My Heart?” Not forgetting the old favourites such as “Chelsea Smile” and “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”. Shame they didn’t play the infamous “Pray for Plagues” but with the fantastic set BMTH delivered here tonight, I’m really in no position to complain. Even though they get a lot of hate directed their way, they sure know how to put on a show, and tonight they delivered big style.
Bullet For My Valentine, eat your heart out!
Arriving onstage after 9pm to a slightly smaller crowd, Welsh modern metal act Bullet For My Valentine walked on to a stage washed in blue light, with lead singer Matt Tuck performing the first two songs of the set with his roadie playing his guitar lines which was odd to say the least, while he then proceeded to run around the stage with his microphone in hand looking like some cheesy leather clad Broadway character out of that shit showbiz film ‘Rock Of Ages’. When they managed to get their act together BFMV played a fan pleasing set, performing songs spanning their entire back catalogue as well as various tunes from their new album “Temper Temper” including the self titled title track and one of tonight’s best songs “Riot”. Other highlights of their act which saw the band getting into the groove with a bigger crowd response included the guitar thrash-outs “Waking The Demon”, “Her Voice Resides”, “Pleasure and Pain” and the bands most popular single and set closer “Tears Don’t Fall”.
Bullet For My Valentine didn’t seem to be on their game here tonight, a lethargic going-through-the-motions attitude prevailed throughout. They had hardly any energy about them, though the fact that they had their collective arses kicked not once but twice by tonight’s support acts might have had a part to play in this perceived “wish we were somewhere else” attitude. The band also kept walking off stage after songs for an unknown reason - be it technical or personal – leaving huge gaps of silence and keeping the fans waiting for them to return and start the next song. As previously mentioned, I’ve heard and read mixed reviews by other punters regarding BFMV’s Belsonic set – some supporting my views, whilst others claiming it was “fantastic”. BFMV were without a doubt the worst band of the night.
Steven Donnelly – August 2013
Photos courtesy of Sarah McHugh
Rating: 6.5/10
Check out the bands:
Gojira - https://www.facebook.com/GojiraMusic
Bring Me The Horizon - https://www.facebook.com/bmthofficial
Bullet For My Valentine - https://www.facebook.com/BulletForMyValentine
I came across French metal outfit Gojira via the usual satellite TV/ press route, and I definitely liked what I was hearing. Seeing that they’d been added to a Belfast festival bill was a treat for me, and judging by tonight’s crowd - they seemed to have brought many loyal followers from both the North and South along with them. Gojira came onstage after 7pm to a rowdy reception, such was the excitement being generated in the crowd by the punters in anticipation of what was to come opened up the pits before the band had even struck a note. With aggressive vocals, heavy thrashing guitar lines, brutal breakdowns, booming bass & drums and complex song structures – they ripped through their 45 minute set, kicking off the mosher’s exercise regime for today in true thrasher style with songs that do exactly what it say’s on the tin such as ‘L’enfant Sauvage’ and the appropriately titled ‘Explosia’ with its erm… “explosive” (sorry) riffage and crowd reaction to match [see what I did there?]. Gojira were in top form, setting the bar extremely high for those set to follow.
Bring Me The Horizon are certainly no strangers to Belfast, having first playing here back in 2009 as part of the Kerrang Tour (I was there!), and returning to headline a below par show at the QUB Mandela Hall in 2011 (unfortunately I was there for this one as well). I’m just going to get straight to the point with this one – BMTH owned Belsonic tonight and tore Bullet For My Valentine a large gapping new one where after the gig, the unanimous crowd opinion was that they should’ve been tonight’s headliner. The release of their new more melodic & electronic album ‘Sempiternal’ caused a nasty split in the BMTH fanbase [which in my opinion is fantastic and shows that they’ve matured, going away from the more generic dead end metalcore style], my interest in the band was reignited and I was actually excited about seeing them again after the previously mentioned disappointing performance they put on last time they were over here.
Arriving on-stage at 8pm to the intro atmospherics of their single ‘Shadow Moses’, the crowd were already hyped up from Gojira, pushing down towards the barrier and shouting the lyrics back at the former ‘Bring Me The Hair Straighteners’ now curly haired frontman Oli Sykes who was already standing on the barrier before the whole band sent a shockwave of noise through the air, causing a sustained and reckless crowd reaction which lasted right through their whole set. Everything from large circle pits and walls of death, to getting the whole crowd [staff included] on their knees. Bring Me The Horizon had Belsonic by the balls, and they were squeezing those gonads very hard. This was a well chosen crowd pleasing set of old and new tunes. The energy being generated from that stage by the band was off the scale, and the high on teenage adrenaline crowd were going crazy!
Highlights of their set include the Sempiternal anthem “Sleepwalking”, the set closer “Anti-vist” and my personal favourite, the heavily electronica influenced “Can You Feel My Heart?” Not forgetting the old favourites such as “Chelsea Smile” and “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”. Shame they didn’t play the infamous “Pray for Plagues” but with the fantastic set BMTH delivered here tonight, I’m really in no position to complain. Even though they get a lot of hate directed their way, they sure know how to put on a show, and tonight they delivered big style.
Bullet For My Valentine, eat your heart out!
Arriving onstage after 9pm to a slightly smaller crowd, Welsh modern metal act Bullet For My Valentine walked on to a stage washed in blue light, with lead singer Matt Tuck performing the first two songs of the set with his roadie playing his guitar lines which was odd to say the least, while he then proceeded to run around the stage with his microphone in hand looking like some cheesy leather clad Broadway character out of that shit showbiz film ‘Rock Of Ages’. When they managed to get their act together BFMV played a fan pleasing set, performing songs spanning their entire back catalogue as well as various tunes from their new album “Temper Temper” including the self titled title track and one of tonight’s best songs “Riot”. Other highlights of their act which saw the band getting into the groove with a bigger crowd response included the guitar thrash-outs “Waking The Demon”, “Her Voice Resides”, “Pleasure and Pain” and the bands most popular single and set closer “Tears Don’t Fall”.
Bullet For My Valentine didn’t seem to be on their game here tonight, a lethargic going-through-the-motions attitude prevailed throughout. They had hardly any energy about them, though the fact that they had their collective arses kicked not once but twice by tonight’s support acts might have had a part to play in this perceived “wish we were somewhere else” attitude. The band also kept walking off stage after songs for an unknown reason - be it technical or personal – leaving huge gaps of silence and keeping the fans waiting for them to return and start the next song. As previously mentioned, I’ve heard and read mixed reviews by other punters regarding BFMV’s Belsonic set – some supporting my views, whilst others claiming it was “fantastic”. BFMV were without a doubt the worst band of the night.
Steven Donnelly – August 2013
Photos courtesy of Sarah McHugh
Rating: 6.5/10
Check out the bands:
Gojira - https://www.facebook.com/GojiraMusic
Bring Me The Horizon - https://www.facebook.com/bmthofficial
Bullet For My Valentine - https://www.facebook.com/BulletForMyValentine