Rockfreaks.net

support Voodoo Six + Primitai
author NR date 04/02/12 venue O2 Academy Islington, London, UK

It was the morning of the 4th February, first thing that springs to mind - 'Edguy day!' Last time seeing them was Bloodstock 2010 (Plus their London show in March and Wacken Open Air, all in the same year) I was having high hopes for the show... Even discovering that it was going to snow that evening. It was a good thing I planned on staying in London.

Primitai

So after a couple of early birthday drinks at The Glass Works, it was time to make a move for the first band Primitai. But outside were two long queues - So considering I had to photograph, I still had to queue. I thought I had a bit of time to get in for the band only to find out a few minutes later from another photographer that they had already started. So after another 10 or so minutes, one of the security guards managed to let me and my friends through so we can get our spot in the pit; luckily getting in for their last three songs. Unfortunately due to the delay in the queues, I can't quite comment a lot on the performance. I saw this band last May at The Purple Turtle when they supported Power Quest - for me their set then was a bit disappointing. This time, there was a slight improvement. For me the most important thing about playing on stage is interacting with the crowd and having a lot of energy, which the vocalist did have but I couldn't quite 'dig' their songs, and that looked like to be the same case with the crowd as there were hardly any excitement. Maybe I need to listen to their songs a bit more, I don't know.

Voodoo Six

Next up for supporting are hard rockers Voodoo Six. This band bring back memories as I heard so much about them as they played quite locally to me but never got the chance to see them therefore I was looking forward to their gig. The sound is in a way familiar to another band but couldn't quite think who.... Until after they played - Black Label Society, that was it! Probably why I enjoyed them a lot. Their first track 'Like The Others Did' blew me away, the vocals were top notch. As soon as that finished, I knew I was going to enjoy these guys. The music was very catchy even I felt like putting my camera down to dance like a complete nuisance. Although when I left the pit, the sound was a bit distorted which put a slight downer to the set. But the one thing which I absolutely loved about their performance was bassist Tony Newton. One hell of a crazy guy and was smiling throughout the whole thing - And that is what musicians should be like. Considering Luke Purdie's vocals were outstanding, he looked like he needed to come out of his shell a bit more as he barely said a word, which is a bit of a shame. I'd say they picked a good supporting band for this show as my excitement levels raised.

Edguy

With half an hour to kill till headlining, funny act Edguy come on, a quick fag break was needed - Wasn't nice to walk out into heavy snow and returning indoors to what looked like I had a serious dandruff issue. In the pit and ready to get snapping away, the lights go out, intro music is playing and what is this? Circus music? I suppose it makes sense although it was a little frightening. Then it was onto their first track 'Nobody's Hero' of their recent album 'Age Of The Joker' - which by the way, I was very impressed with. It may not be like 'Mandrake' or 'Vain Glory Opera' but I have respect for Tobias for wanting to do something different. One of the reasons I love this band is the fact they are there to entertain, and to make people happy. The more laughter I hear from the crowd, the more respect I have for the Edguy boys. The drumming starts for 'Lavatory Love Machine', but Tobias decides to interact with the crowd, split them and for each side to take it in turns to do some chanting. Although I stated interaction is important, I felt like it dragged on a bit and all I wanted is to get the song over and done with and to continue with the show considering there was a time limit (Also with this time limit, there was no drum solo, which I'm sure was good news for some people). After that was new single 'Robin Hood', 'Ministry of Saints' and then one of my favourite live songs, 'Save Me' - and as always, it was beautifully performed. During this performance, they stop for a moment to thank everyone for their support. A memory from seeing them in London in 2010 was them playing 'The Trooper' by UK legends Iron Maiden; this moment repeated itself and had the crowd singing along and going absolutely mental. Followed by 'Superheroes', the encore of 'Vain Glory Opera' and to finish of the show, 'King Of Fools'. I just thought; during the show Tobias chants 'Scream for me London!' - Which instantly made me think 'Bruce Dickinson, much?', which for me isn't necessary. Overall a great performance by one of my favourite bands, but it looked like Tobias needed some sleep. I hope he got plenty of rest after the sold out London show as he deserved it. And also likes the drawing I did for him, which was given to him during the first song. A lovely moment for me.