BRITISH LION ASSEMBLY

ROOMS, ISLINGTON

It was sub zero temperatures in London but British Lion brought all their tooth and claw hot ferocity to the stage in a show which left us frothing for more. Steve Harris, the shorts sporting darling of East London rock ’n’ roll bestowed his quintet upon the Islington Assembly on the second to last date of their 2023 UK tour. The last time I’d seen the guys had been at their packed-out Download Festival 2022 performance and by looking at the hefty queue outside the Assembly, it was clear no sort of popularity was about to wane.

Support acts Airforce and Voodoo Six both put in sterling performances with the former harvesting an Iron Maiden type galloping vibrato and the latter a tour de force in thunderous shreds and bellowing vocals. Warm ups don’t get much better or more fitting than this.

At just gone 9pm, with the leather jackets and long hair of London now united, British Lion take to the stage. Despite being on the last leg of their tour their combined energy is nothing short of inexhaustible. Cracking on with tracks from both their 2012 selftitled debut album and most recent 2020 album, ‘The Burning’, the guys weave in and out of a neatly arranged setlist.

‘This Is My God’, ‘These Are The Hands’, and ‘The Chosen On’ from the first record are strikingly poignant whilst tracks such as ‘Father Legion’, ‘City of Fallen Angels’ and ‘Last Chance’ from their most recent hits just as hard. Vocalist Richard Taylor guides the audience through with just enough in-between song chatter. ‘Spit Fire’ strikes a nice emotive chord before fan favourite ‘Lightning’ catapults us to the heights of guitar virtuosity. Grahame Leslie and David Hawkins tag team those gloriously on point guitar solos whilst Simon Dawson comes out as a particular highlight of the show for headbangers and drum enthusiasts alike.

For all the adoration of the music there is a definite Steve Harris love affair between him and his audience. With his trademark West Ham United wrist sweat band and equally obvious burgundy and baby blue bass strap he goads audience cheers with just one look. It’s his unfiltered, undimmed bass sound that makes British Lion’s studio albums what they are and here I’m happy to say it’s no different. ‘Bible Black’ harnesses that twang with the zest never dropping from his axe wielding comrades.

The guys finish up with ‘Eyes of The Young’. Unbridled cheers from the crowd are matched only by the enthused horns they thrust into the air. British Lion giving us a masterclass in professionalism and perfectionism without ever dropping the bar once.

Words: Monty Sewell

Photo Credit: Eric Duvet

VOLBEAT / SKINDRED THE WHITE HOUSE, ASHINGTON

With Christmas just around the corner, a party mood was in the air as Volbeat and touring counterparts Skindred and Napalm Death descended upon the First Direct Arena in Leeds. A packed-out audience was in attendance in West Yorkshire for a turbo-charged bill of epic proportions.

With icy conditions and sub-zero temperatures prevailing throughout the day, Napalm Death had the task of thawing out the Leeds audience. The thrash metal legends’ short but explosive set not only warmed up the crowd but also their eardrums.

Skindred proved to be the perfect precursor to the headliners. Equipped with an arsenal of hard rock anthems and more energy than a case of Red Bull, the band had the Leeds crowd in the palms of their hands from the off. When you combine Benji’s charisma, enthusiasm and showmanship with Mikey Demus’ crunchy guitar riffs and the unstoppable rhythms provided by Daniel Pugsley and Arya Goggin you get a band to be reckoned with.

Tracks such as Kill The Power and Gimmee That Boom were built to be showcased in an arena setting. Whilst thousands of Yorkshire folk wholeheartedly doing the Newport Helicopter during Warning was a beautiful site. At the end of their set, Benji took a well deserved victory lap around Volbeat’s diamond shape stage.

At this time of the year, it’s not uncommon for a band to endure illness. After all, being on tour is not easy, by any stretch of the imagination. On this occasion, frontman Michael Poulsen was battling with a cold but soldiered on. As the old saying goes, the show must go on.

Having spared no expense on their arena production, the band grappled with their larger-than-life stage set, making each patron feel close to the action. Whether the fans were in the Parasite Pit in the centre of the stage or elsewhere around the arena, the group charged up and down the colossal structure whilst engaging with the audience.

Despite challenging circumstances for Poulsen, the arena crowd spurred the artist on like a choir of Volbeat backing singers, particularly during anthems such as Devils Bleeding Heart, Lola Montez and Last Day Under The Sun. Each of which featured early in the set.

A heartfelt performance of Fallen was dedicated to Michael’s father, whilst a foot-stomping rockabilly-tinged airing of Sad Man’s Tongue was one of the many highlights of the group’s sixteen-song setlist.

With inflatable balloons propelling their way across the arena floor Wait A Minute My Girl proved to be a hit with the Leeds crowd. The addition of both sax and piano during the latter was incredibly effective. Having battled with his cold, Poulsen took the opportunity to rest his voice during a ferocious instrumental rendition of Becoming.

Volbeat hurtled towards the finish line via Seal The Deal, and the song did just that with the Leeds audience. Furthermore, confetti propelled its way across the arena floor during the main set closer Devil Rages On.

Illness aside, Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen proved that both himself and his bandmates were unstoppable during an astounding performance in Leeds.

Words and Photo Credit: Adam Kennedy