Gig: Northlane @ Electric Ballroom, London
Northlane by Anne Pfalzgraf
It’s been a while since Northlane graced the UK with their highly energetic live performances, hence, the anticipation was high when they announced to bring their Mirror’s Edge tour to Europe and the UK for a run of shows. One of the six UK dates was a sold-out show at the Electric Ballroom in London, on 21 September. Bringing along upcoming powerhouses Ten56. and Novelists, the fans were treated to an evening filled with plenty of energy, filthy breakdowns and huge singalongs.
Ten56.
Stepping on the stage to an already nicely filled venue, Ten56. turned the floor in front of the stage into one big mosh pit demanding the crowd to get off their feet and move. They set the tone with their guttural and animalistic vocals which were accompanied by chunky guitar riffs, showing off their industrial- and death metal influences. They wasted no time waking up the crowd and saw them mosh along and scream at the top of their lungs.
Novelists
Paris-based progressive metalcore outfit Novelists were next on stage and brought a more pop-heavy sound with them slowing the set down a bit giving the crowd a breather. They showed influences from metalcore mixed with djent, hardcore, anthemic singalong choruses and bolt breakdowns. Nevertheless, they saw crowd surfers right from the start and loads of dancing amidst the breakdowns.
Northlane
As the lights dim for the last time and Northlane take to the stage to the intro of ‘Carbonized’ the air in the room was filled with blistering excitement. The crowd was easily swept off their feet with crowd surfers immediately making their way to the stage. Being known for their signature industrial progressive metal sound, blending futuristic synth elements, filthy breakdowns, djenty guitar melodies and huge anthemic singalong choruses, Northlane took the audience on an emotional journey. Vocalist Marcus Bridge impressed with his incredible vocal range seamlessly transitioning between heart-wrenching screams and his diverse singing range. Especially fan-favourite songs such as ‘Miasma’, ‘Bloodline’, ‘Dante’ and ‘Clarity’ saw the floor erupt into one big mosh pit with the crowd dancing and clapping along while ‘4D’ and ‘Clockwork’ turned the crowd into a big metal choir having everyone sing on the top of their lungs. The four-piece raced through their set not slowing down for even one minute demanding the crowd to keep the energy flowing before transitioning into the set-closer ‘Nova’ which left the crowd chanting for ‘one more song’. Giving the crowd one last song, the set finished with the anthemic ‘Citizen’ leaving the crowd highly excited and hungry for more.
