The Underworld, London Wednesday 24th April 2013

The Underworld – a well known venue, famous for the many bands and artists that have performed there. And now, it seems there is a new addition to their ever growing list; Fearless Vampire Killers. After seeing them twice last year, I hoped they would live up to their high status of their previous gigs. They certainly did.

Ugly Love were the second support band. A quartet consisting of a drummer, bassist, vocalist and guitarist. Their sound was a sort of Fearless Vampire Killers meets Bring Me The Horizon, with heavy guitar riffs and powerful rhythms. By having only one guitarist I expected their material to sound a bit limited, but I was proven wrong by the furious fretboard sliding skills of Kit Hawes-Web…good job mate! Musically, Ugly Love had great potential. Vocalist Tom Adolph wasn’t too bad either – good at singing. Screaming? Not so much. He had the sort of voice you could compare to a young teenage boy who was trying to match the voices of those on his Slipknot CD while his voice was breaking. But then again after listening to their demos on their website, I think his not so great live screaming was purely down to nerves or a sore throat.

After a short interval came Fort Hope. From the first note played, it was obvious they were going to impress. Lead vocalist Jon Gaskin had a phenomenal voice that was nicely complimented by the harmonies of guitarist Ande D’Mello. Even if they did look as if they still belonged in secondary school, Fort Hope had brought new sounds to the world of music – I believe they’re ones to watch. You Me At Six with hints of Crown The Empire and a whole load of fresh talent; that’s the best way I can describe them. A proper good band!

Now, onto the main gig. Fearless Vampire Killers were greeted by screams and a loud chant of “FVK!” by the venue. Compared to the first time I saw them at Guilfest last July, the crowd was huge. It’s so nice to see how the FVK ‘fandom’ has expanded just under a year. As for the band themselves; they have come so far. The set kicked off with Concede, Repent, Destroy from their 2012 album ‘Militia of the Lost’, followed by ‘Bow Ties on Dead Guy’s. Both were very strong performances as always. ‘Bite Down On My Winchester’ really livened up the venue with its killer chorus and upbeat tempo.

Next up was ‘P-Train’ from their most recent release; ‘Exposition’. To my surprise and happiness, FVK played the whole 5 track EP within their gig. For many (including myself) had not heard the ‘Exposition’ tracks performed live and it was great to do so. ‘Death or Disgrace’ got a little mosh pit started, whereas Stargazer got the entire crowd pumping their fists and jumping around. Everything sounded absolutely flawless, but then again, what else would you expect from a band like Fearless Vampire Killers?

‘Palace in Flames’ followed; a typical fan favourite, that got the venue singing along. Afterwards was ‘Could We Burn Darling?’ It was amazing to see that FVK had remained energetic throughout, interacting with the crowd and being their normal, humorous old selves. To round off the evening was ‘At War With the Thirst’ – a great live song that got everyone singing and waving their hands around. And what better way to make a grand exit than an Elton John cover of ‘I’m Still Standing’, which was met by smiles and nods of approval by the parents that had been dragged to the gig by their eager sons and daughters.

To conclude, it was another perfect performance by the London rockers Fearless Vampire Killers. The Underworld today, but who knows what the future holds? Perhaps Hammersmith Apollo? Or Madison Square Garden? But whatever it is, their fans will be behind them every step of the way.

By Jasmine Ritchie

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

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