On Wednesday night, I headed along to The Black Heart in Camden to see German melodeath band Hiraes play the second of two UK shows on their “Nightflight” tour of Europe. I first saw them support Be’lakor at The Dome in 2023 and was instantly blown away. I am a big melodeath fan generally, but they were fantastic live, and Britta Görtz was an incredible presence on stage, so I was really excited to see them again.
It was already promising to be an exciting evening when I made my way to the stage to set up for photographing the bands and saw more “production” than I have ever seen at a 150-capacity venue before – a variety of different lights and even CO2 machines!
German melodeath/metalcore four-piece nopreachers opened proceedings and were brilliant from the very start. There were some people in the crowd who were already familiar with the band, but the rest of us seeing them for the first time were equally delighted. They were heavy, they were tight, they had great stage presence, and the lighting added extra levels of polish and performance to their set. Their tracks were laden with epic melodies and brutal, gritty vocals, and they definitely gained a few more fans that night – I for one would definitely go and see them again.
I believe this was their first time in the UK, but hopefully they will return, as they are ones to watch for sure. After nopreachers had finished their brilliant set, some of the fancy lighting was taken away to make more room for Hiraes, but there was still more lighting than I had seen before at this venue (and the CO2 machines remained), and as a photographer, that is very exciting indeed!
From the very beginning, the energy from the band was huge and reciprocated by the crowd as they opened with “Through The Storm” from their 2024 album Dormant, and the CO2 machines made it feel like a much larger show. Britta was as charismatic and just downright captivating as I had remembered and is such an incredible vocalist. I think all young girls should go and see Hiraes live, as I think every woman in that room left feeling so empowered and like they could take on the world!
Like myself, there were some who had clearly seen Hiraes before (and some who had been to the Manchester show the day before as well, I think), as at one point Britta came into the crowd – maybe for “We Owe No One” – and handed the mic to various people who screamed along and clearly knew all the words. They played an excellent set that at points I wished would never end, featuring tracks not only from Dormant but also their excellent 2021 debut album Solitary – including some of my favourites: “Eyes Over Black,” “Grain of Sand,” and the brilliant “Under Fire.”
In short, Hiraes are a fantastic live band and I hope they continue to grow and reach bigger and bigger audiences, and play bigger and bigger shows, though I will always remember this intimate show because it was so special. One of the great things about seeing bands you love at grassroots music venues is that usually they will step off the stage and come and have a little chat, a hug, or take a photo with the people who have come to see them, which is exactly what Hiraes did. Experiences like that night for me are so much better than paying £100+ to barely see a band from the back of an arena or stadium.
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Hiraes: official | facebook | instagram | spotify | youtube
nopreachers: official | facebook | instagram | spotify | youtube
All photos by Katie Frost Photography
