As days get shorter with people wanting to gather indoors, the 2024/25 gig season is back in full swing and Lacuna Coil couldn’t be a better option for entertainment on a rather mild winter night.
Blind Channel were the only opener and put on a seriously impressive display capable of making the headlines on the likes of Kerrang or Metal Hammer just to name a few. Incorporating elements of rap and hip-hop, it felt like a revival of the underground scene back in the days of N.W.A when nightclubs were packed to the brim, raves lasted until the early hours of the morning and police would arrest organisers for disturbing the peace.
Joel Hokka and Niko Moilanen on vocals orchestrated all the action from left, right and centre with a fired-up Manchester bouncing nonstop. Both of them had an exceptional stage presence and never let any engagement slip. But it wasn’t just the pair leading the line as DJ Aleksi Kaunisvesi acted like an extra hype man whether it be through percussion or joining in on backing vocals.
Joonas Porko didn’t hold back in showing off his wizard guitar skills by pulling off some gorgeous riffs with a lovely djent tone that could be felt vibrating against your teeth while Tommi Lalli kept everyone in check. His sense of rhythm matched Swiss clock precision and the mix was spot on as we could feel 100% of the bass drum hits thumping our chests like firework explosions.
Considering that Halloween and Day of the Dead were around the corner, Lacuna Coil were an ideal pick as their melancholic and gothic style brought a much-needed sombre note to add to the excitement.
Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro were at the centre of attention throughout and if there’s something that they can always master is presence. Since the band’s formation in 1994, the pair have stolen the spotlight time after time with that evening being no exception. You don’t even need to put a curtain in front of other members as their glamour could superglue your eyes to them thanks to some outstanding choreography.
On the far left, you had Cristina singing the clean sections and this is where her versatility came to life. While there’s plenty of power and melody to her voice, subtle layers of vulnerability creep in to match the band’s primary topics of darkness, love and despair. Her seductive smiles that looked like Harley Quinn falling for the Joker were so hypnotising and whenever she made love heart gestures, it was enough to make your own skip a beat.
To the right, Andrea did the harsh parts and showed no mercy towards us with brutal screams hitting you like jet washers to bare skin. They added a wonderful contrast that gelled brilliantly with Cristina’s sound and also represented additional feelings of anger that add insult to injury. The minute he looked you in the eye similar to Michael Myers stalking his victims in ‘Halloween Kills’, it was a one-way ticket to the morgue. While Cristina did most of the hard work in energising the crowd, Andrea kept mouthing her sections mid-song which was an extremely clever tactic to eliminate any chance of boredom.
Richard Meiz yet again turned up to prove that he was the one for the job and made light work of what to many drummers only feels achievable in their dreams. As usual, the pressure of delivering on big occasions was second nature to him and he passed that test with flying colours by chucking in some adrenaline-fuelling short bursts of double kick, snappy fills and beats that couldn’t keep you still.
Bandmate Daniele Salomone may only have joined this year on guitars but he sounded like he’d been there forever as his warm body language matched with some superb technical trickery showed just why he was prepared to grab hold of the precious torch passed over by a previous member. To play with such confidence for a band like them, as a newbie, in front of a 2/3 full Academy isn’t for the faint-hearted and fans loved it.
It was a relentless display from the Italian powerhouses and despite this being their longest-ever absence from England (excluding Download 2022), they definitely haven’t forgotten about us as the crowd reception was a fierce reminder that the longer you stay away, the more restless we get.
