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February is the month of love, and what better tour to fill our hearts with joy than a Black Veil Brides tour. Kicking things off in Norwich on Valentine’s Day, the tour soon reached the Midlands with a sold-out show at O2 Institute Birmingham.
The fantastic line-up also included Cemetery Sun, who Birmingham had unfortunately missed out on seeing on the Set It Off tour last November after the band had their van and equipment, instruments and merchandise stolen in Manchester, forcing the band to pull out of the remaining dates – and also Lilith Czar (born from the mind of Juliet Simms), who brought inspiration, purpose and some damn fine rock skills with her.
The headline band kickstart their set at 9.10pm. With a flicking red backdrop showing fiery flames, the five-piece show no mercy as they burst onto the stage performing the ravenous ‘Crimson Skies’. Christian 'CC' Coma on drums powers away on his kit, a real showman despite being at the back of the stage, while up front, guitarists Jinxx and Jake Pitts, plus new bassist Lonny Eagleton, dominate their guitars. There’s a slight technical issue for frontman Andy Black as his vocals initially can’t be heard – although, thankfully, this is soon sorted. During the show, Andy effortlessly switches between melodic vocals and the occasional brutal roar. ‘Coffin’ is a great example, harmonious for the most part before the fierce ‘I won’t let you steal my after life’ line is savagely expressed.
‘Rebel Love Song’ is particularly appropriate for the date, while ‘Devil’, from 2022’s ‘The Mourning’ EP, leaves an indelible audio print all over you. ‘Wake Up’ is one of our faves, and most of the crowd’s too, by the sound of their voices in the chorus. ‘I Am Bulletproof’ is another highlight; it’s one of the songs that sees Jinxx and Jake Pitts stand back-to-back on the riser at the front of the stage at the start of the song and then again towards the end of the song, their dual guitarwork sounding radiant. The anthemic chorus is also particularly vibrant.
Andy speaks to the crowd before ‘Scarlet Cross’, telling everyone that the last time they toured over in the UK they didn’t know if it was going to be the band’s last tour. But they kept going and made a new record. The first song from that record ended up being the most commercially successful song the band has ever had. “Thank you so fuckin’ much for what you have done for us,” Andy says.
Jinxx plays the violin during ‘Shadows Die’ and ‘Shadows Rise’, a distinct feature during the set. The band are celebrating ten years of ‘Wretched And Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’, the band’s third studio album, released in January 2013. They perform ‘Wretched And Divine’, much to the delight of the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, during ‘The Legacy’, Andy stops the show as a fan has passed out in the audience. “Make room, make space please,” he says. He waits for the security to safely carry the fan out, before continuing with the show. “This is why we love you,” yells a fan from the crowd. A chant of ‘Black Veil Brides’ then ensues. Andy speaks about the community of fans and how they look after each other before the band play ‘Knives And Pens’.
Despite the crowd chanting ‘One more song’, the band return for three more, starting with the softer, retrospective ‘Lost It All’ and ending with the exquisite gem that is ‘In The End’. “Thank you for being awesome tonight. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Andy says, before this final song. But, of course, we thank them more, for coming back and gracing us with their presence and music yet again.
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