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A few years back I was lucky enough to see and shoot Nightwish at the Birmingham Arena. The support that day, which totally owned the massive stage with a huge sound, were a band called Beast in Black. I loved their cheesy Euro style and stage presence and have been waiting ever since for them to come back and tour on their own accord. I certainly didn’t expect that tour to feature a tiny independent venue in Bristol where there is no photo pit and a number of pillars supporting a VERY old roof in front of the stage! Great to see a band like that up close. NOT so good to try to photograph them!
Support for the night was a totally new to me band called Firewind. A quick Google and now I am even more surprised at the venue chosen, as the guitarist is none other than Gus G, who is known for having played with Ozzy as well as many other bands. As an unknown support, they blew me away! Drummer Johan Nunez (the wife was rather taken as he was perched inches from the front of the stage and kept smiling at her) appeared and stood on his drum kit, getting the very full crowd to interact, Gus, vocalist Herbie Langhans and bassist Petros Christodoulidis joined him on stage and everything took off.
Quite how these guys are supporting in a tiny pub escapes me. Johan is a force of nature, beating the bejesus out of his kit, Gus lays down insane solos on every song, including one (‘Destination Forever’) using a guitar with a red flashing fretboard and smoke coming from the pickups, and Herbie’s voice is simply sublime. ‘Destiny is Calling’ showcases a song from a soon-to-come album, the first to feature Mr. Langhans, and suggests it will be VERY listenable. Their short set of 9 songs is over way too quickly. Everyone has featured sumptuous vocals, string solos, and more skilled musicianship than many a band I have seen in a far bigger venue. The crowd agrees and I suspect many encores could have been played but instead we finish with a glorious cover version of ‘Maniac’ from Flashdance. In case you can’t tell, I liked them. I liked them a LOT!
A quick change over and the covers on two pieces of stage furniture are removed to reveal two half-naked cyber creations and off we go with the headliner. The night before I had been to a gig in Cardiff and heard the usual plaudits of “took the roof off” etc, for what were, in reality, fairly average crowd responses. Tonight though, in a rammed venue with sweat running down the walls, a tiny stage, and limited lighting, we got to see what a great crowd response really does look like. From the first song, from front to back, every single person is having a great time. Clapping, dancing, cheering, singing. It is no front-row show. It’s a whole venue party.
Best in Black deliver a set of corny, keyboard-backed (via tape), layered disco metal, for lack of any better description, and it is simply glorious fun. First to highlight are the insane vocals of Yannis Papadopoulos. Prowling the stage in a full-length leather coat, head-shaven and demonic smile he is a superb frontman. His range has the bar staff scurrying to secure the glassware and every note is pitch-perfect. The string merchants of Anton Kabanen, Kasperi Heikkinen, and Máté Molnár synchronise seamlessly with perfect choreography on almost every song. At the back drummer Atte Palokangas is enshrined behind a kit that is almost as big as the remaining stage space. Somehow we are watching an arena show in a venue smaller than most changing rooms.
Song highlights for me are the ridiculously catchy ‘Crazy, Mad, Insane’ (I am still singing it the next day), ‘Sweet True Lies’, and ‘Blind and Frozen’ (sounding like a Disney theme at times) which has the venue bouncing as one human mass. It is cheesy. It is fun. It is ridiculously enjoyable kitsch. There is no encore, the band simply stays on stage and keeps going until every soul in the venue is satiated.
How on earth are a band that has songs with 45 MILLION listens on Spotify (Black Star Riders – playing a much bigger venue the night before – in comparison peak at 2.5 million) playing venues this size is a mystery. I can honestly say this was one of the most enjoyable shows I have seen in a long time and sometimes that is just what you need in life.
All remaining Beast In Black tour dates can be found here.
Review and all images – Rob Wilkins/ Celtography
