What better way to help you get over hump day than a triple-header of horror-themed rock bands? Judging by the great and the good spotted passing through tonight’s crowd—including members of Seething Akira and South of Salem—the promise of some kick-ass horror-punk seemed to be the answer to that question. Bring on Wednesday 13’s Summer Blood Storm Tour!
First up tonight were Las Vegas ‘dark alt-rockers’ The Nocturnal Affair, who kicked things off with a nice blend of melodic, pop-infused metal. Their online videos led me to expect a mash-up of Nine Inch Nails, HIM, and Five Finger Death Punch—but live, they’re a much harder-hitting proposition. Frontman Brendan Shane, a strong singer-songwriter, has a rich vocal range that reminded me at various points of Trent Reznor and Killswitch Engage’s Howard Jones. Guitarists Andy Ingraham and Dru Lappin, bassist Michael James, and drummer RJ Hamman kept the music hard and heavy. RJ even opened one song with an impressive drum solo—executed in a way that actually wasn’t boring (other bands, take note).
The Nocturnal Affair have some really catchy numbers that threaten to become earworms on the bus ride home; think One Second-era Paradise Lost and you wouldn’t be far wrong. Then, for their final track, they broke out a cover of Haddaway’s “What Is Love.” I’m really not sure the world needs another version of this (and yes, I remember the original), but I suppose it’s an improvement—and the ladies around me went absolutely mental for it. So, I guess I should give it the benefit of the doubt…
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Fearless Vampire Killers (FVK) are a five-piece English alt-rock band—and a very poppy one at that. In fact, I’d probably describe them as guitar pop, based on some of tonight’s songs. While they clearly have musical ability and some well-constructed material, I’m not sure they were the best fit for this particular line-up. After the energy of The Nocturnal Affair, their set fell a little flat for me—especially with the crowd’s anticipation for tonight’s headline act. (And let’s face it, most of the audience were probably rooting for the vampires, of course!)
That said, I think fans of My Chemical Romance and the ballad-y end of Atreyu would probably enjoy FVK more than I did.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
I’ve been listening to Wednesday 13—and all the bands he’s been involved with—for quite some time now, but I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect tonight. Over and above a festival of horror-punk and gothic metal, of course. The confusion comes from trying to remember which songs belong to Wednesday 13, which are Murderdolls, and which are Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 (FDG)—and which of them he can or will perform live.
Thankfully, there was a good variety of musical delicacies laid out on the slab tonight, spanning most of his career. Bursting straight out of the traps with “Look What the Bat’s Dragged In” from Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying and the Dead, the energy levels were high from the start and didn’t really tail off at any point—at least from where I was standing.
The chug-chug-chug of “Too Fast for Blood” saw bassist Troy Doebbler showing off his skills, foot planted firmly on the monitors, before launching into “Rotting Away”—a new track from the recent album Mid Death Crisis. It’s a riff-fest with some wonderfully bitter lyrical sentiments about a (presumably ex-) partner… haha. “I Want You… Dead” continued the theme.
Wednesday 13 has somehow managed to maintain a consistent 40-Woodbines-a-day snarl in his vocals throughout the years. He still sounds great and throws 100% commitment into his rock’n’roll persona. Guitarists Jack Tankersley and Ashes, alongside drummer Mike Dupke, complete Wednesday’s unholy gang—and they’re a tight, effective unit.
“When the Devil Commands,” another new track, had a Rob Zombie-esque stomp to it. Delving into the Murderdolls back catalogue next put me on familiar ground, with the chuggy “Summertime Suicide” and the fast-paced rocker “197666” hitting us in quick succession.
From “Good Day to Be a Bad Guy” to “No Apologies” to “I Walked With a Zombie” to the covid-catchy Murderdolls classic “Nowhere,” the crowd lapped up every minute of tonight’s icky, schlocky proceedings.
The band returned for an encore with “Bad Things” and, my personal favourite, “I Love to Say Fuck.”
More tea, vicar?
