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| Photo By Gemma Harling |
Glamour of the Kill, Shadows Chasing Ghosts and Forever Living Dead at the Sumo in Leicester.
The venue may not have been big but Glamour of the Kill did not let the four walls of the Sumo in Leicester, on the 24th February, stop them from causing havoc amongst their fans.
There was a late start to the gig which left many antsy and eager for the first support band, Forever Living Dead, to come on. The usually four piece band apologised to the Sumo audience for the absence of a member who had left the band fairly recently, causing the remaining members to rethink and rework their tracks. Despite this Forever Living Dead were able to start the evening on a high. The enthusiastic music the band projected helped warm a static audience, although they did not receive the reception they perhaps deserved due to the time the crowd had to wait. The Leicestershire based alternative rock band impressed with their instrumental control and sound, however it would have benefitted from some technical tweaking as the lyrics were lost amongst the over powering amplifier. The band’s performance at the Sumo was amazing under the circumstances, however being on home turf they could not disappoint their local fans by cancelling. When the Forever Living Dead have replaced the missing member or refigure their songs appropriately to fit the remaining trio, their performance will be lifted to another level as they already have the potential to impress rock lovers.
The second and announced, ‘official’ support of the Glamour of the Kill’s UK tour were Shadows Chasing Ghosts. The screamo/ rock band from London were not shy about making noise. The small size of the venue did not hinder their passion for being loud and at times insane. Frontman Trey Tremain got up close and personal with many fans almost swinging at them from the metal roof beams. Although the lyrics were lost among the volume of scream vocals, the band projected energy all around the dingy Sumo basement. The floodlights highlighted the faces of the audience; brightening the room and making the crowd come alive. Moshing started during Shadows Chasing Ghosts’ set which, in such a confined space, was violent and mental. The band encouraged the audience to get involved by clapping to the beat and head-banging to the heavy instrumentals, truly fulfilling their duty as a support band to warm up the room ready for the headliners. Technically the music was astounding, the guitar riffs and solos from Matt Jones and Damien Cummins were sharp and electric, accompanied by the strong drum beats from Danny Coy and the depth of bass played by Danny Green. Shadows Chasing Ghosts were well received by the Leicester audience, most of the crowd were out of breath by the end of their set, but ready for more.
The headliners, Glamour of the Kill, came on stage for their ‘The Summoning tour’, to a chorus of screams from the Leicester crowd. The rock-pop/metal band from York take on the appearance of a stereotypical heavier band, tattoo clad and clothed in black; however the band’s sound was ‘softer’ than what was expected, after their support choice was fairly heavy. Glamour of the Kill combined the perfect amount of lyrical singing and screaming in order for the crowd to join in. Vocalist, Davey Richmond, remained strong throughout the entire set, voicing the band’s lyrics clearly and with enthusiasm whilst also controlling the bass guitar. All band members contribute to the vocals at some point during the set, giving a sense of chemistry and equality amongst them, unlike some bands where the frontman hogs the spotlight, this sense of isolation was not present between Glamour of the Kill. Lead guitarist Mike Kingswood shredded incredible guitar solos which were only amplified by riffs of other guitarist Chris Gomerson, and beats from drummer Ben Thomson all three adding the intense, superb music to the band’s tracks. The audience were extremely active for Glamour of the Kill, jumping, thrashing, moshing, head-banging and singing at every opportunity, the long wait they had seemed insignificant now the band were on stage.
The relatively short set list of eleven songs seemed popular with the audience, their fans’ passion to move being relentless until the end. The benefit of a smaller venue is that the crowd get a true sense of a band from a close perspective, which is what they received from Glamour of the Kill. The songs all had a sound more upbeat than their names, they played tracks such as ‘A Hope in Hell’, ‘Lost Souls’ and ‘Rise from your Grave’, morbidly titled yet surprisingly buoyant. Ending the set with a more optimistic track, ‘Feeling Alive’ which applied to every crowd member after this adrenaline fuelled performance.
Glamour of the Kill have a sound that belongs in bigger venue and judging by their set in Leicester it may not be long in the future before they dominate a larger stage.
The venue may not have been big but Glamour of the Kill did not let the four walls of the Sumo in Leicester, on the 24th February, stop them from causing havoc amongst their fans.
There was a late start to the gig which left many antsy and eager for the first support band, Forever Living Dead, to come on. The usually four piece band apologised to the Sumo audience for the absence of a member who had left the band fairly recently, causing the remaining members to rethink and rework their tracks. Despite this Forever Living Dead were able to start the evening on a high. The enthusiastic music the band projected helped warm a static audience, although they did not receive the reception they perhaps deserved due to the time the crowd had to wait. The Leicestershire based alternative rock band impressed with their instrumental control and sound, however it would have benefitted from some technical tweaking as the lyrics were lost amongst the over powering amplifier. The band’s performance at the Sumo was amazing under the circumstances, however being on home turf they could not disappoint their local fans by cancelling. When the Forever Living Dead have replaced the missing member or refigure their songs appropriately to fit the remaining trio, their performance will be lifted to another level as they already have the potential to impress rock lovers.
The second and announced, ‘official’ support of the Glamour of the Kill’s UK tour were Shadows Chasing Ghosts. The screamo/ rock band from London were not shy about making noise. The small size of the venue did not hinder their passion for being loud and at times insane. Frontman Trey Tremain got up close and personal with many fans almost swinging at them from the metal roof beams. Although the lyrics were lost among the volume of scream vocals, the band projected energy all around the dingy Sumo basement. The floodlights highlighted the faces of the audience; brightening the room and making the crowd come alive. Moshing started during Shadows Chasing Ghosts’ set which, in such a confined space, was violent and mental. The band encouraged the audience to get involved by clapping to the beat and head-banging to the heavy instrumentals, truly fulfilling their duty as a support band to warm up the room ready for the headliners. Technically the music was astounding, the guitar riffs and solos from Matt Jones and Damien Cummins were sharp and electric, accompanied by the strong drum beats from Danny Coy and the depth of bass played by Danny Green. Shadows Chasing Ghosts were well received by the Leicester audience, most of the crowd were out of breath by the end of their set, but ready for more.
The headliners, Glamour of the Kill, came on stage for their ‘The Summoning tour’, to a chorus of screams from the Leicester crowd. The rock-pop/metal band from York take on the appearance of a stereotypical heavier band, tattoo clad and clothed in black; however the band’s sound was ‘softer’ than what was expected, after their support choice was fairly heavy. Glamour of the Kill combined the perfect amount of lyrical singing and screaming in order for the crowd to join in. Vocalist, Davey Richmond, remained strong throughout the entire set, voicing the band’s lyrics clearly and with enthusiasm whilst also controlling the bass guitar. All band members contribute to the vocals at some point during the set, giving a sense of chemistry and equality amongst them, unlike some bands where the frontman hogs the spotlight, this sense of isolation was not present between Glamour of the Kill. Lead guitarist Mike Kingswood shredded incredible guitar solos which were only amplified by riffs of other guitarist Chris Gomerson, and beats from drummer Ben Thomson all three adding the intense, superb music to the band’s tracks. The audience were extremely active for Glamour of the Kill, jumping, thrashing, moshing, head-banging and singing at every opportunity, the long wait they had seemed insignificant now the band were on stage.
The relatively short set list of eleven songs seemed popular with the audience, their fans’ passion to move being relentless until the end. The benefit of a smaller venue is that the crowd get a true sense of a band from a close perspective, which is what they received from Glamour of the Kill. The songs all had a sound more upbeat than their names, they played tracks such as ‘A Hope in Hell’, ‘Lost Souls’ and ‘Rise from your Grave’, morbidly titled yet surprisingly buoyant. Ending the set with a more optimistic track, ‘Feeling Alive’ which applied to every crowd member after this adrenaline fuelled performance.
Glamour of the Kill have a sound that belongs in bigger venue and judging by their set in Leicester it may not be long in the future before they dominate a larger stage.
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| Photo By Gemma Harling |
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| Photo By Gemma Harling |
