It’s a moment that’s been a long time coming. The band narrowly missed out on the top spot with 2023’s Smile, which fell short by a mere 150 copies. This time around, they weren’t leaving anything to chance. Both acts spent the week rallying their fanbases on social media, but it was Skindred and the rock and metal community who came through when it mattered.

The band said: “All of us in the band are absolutely blown away by the amazing reaction and support to our new album. We want to say thank you to everyone that came out this week to buy a copy, especially all of those in our extended family in the rock and metal communities.”

Skindred also topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, shifting the most copies on wax over the past seven days. You Got This is the band’s ninth studio album, released via Earache Records on April 17.

In true Skindred fashion, they also offered a classy nod to their rival for the top spot: “We would also like to send our congratulations to Jessie Ware on her amazing new album, from all of us in Skindred.”

A headline UK and Ireland tour follows in the autumn, including Nottingham Rock City on October 24, Birmingham O2 Academy on October 30, a Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace on October 31, plus Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow dates in November.

To be the first Welsh ragga metal punk band from Newport to hit Number One really is, as Benji put it, a Fairytale of Newport.

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In an era where album rollouts typically involve months of teasing, single drops and social media breadcrumbs, Enter Shikari just went ahead and put the whole thing out on a Friday. The 12-track album arrived via So Recordings with both digital and physical formats available worldwide from day one.

Frontman Rou Reynolds explained the thinking: “We want people to go on a proper journey with this album, and see where it takes them. No lead up, no singles, and no explanation. Forcing the listener to actually listen, without being drip-fed ideas out of context, or spoon-fed explanations.”

The album explores themes of desolation and despair at the state of the world, threaded through with the glimmers of hope and optimism that have always been central to the Enter Shikari approach. Reynolds described it as one of their darkest and heaviest records to date.

Three intimate outstore shows at The Cavern in Liverpool, The Fighting Cocks in Kingston and London’s Signature Brew all sold out in seconds. The band will also headline arenas across the UK in November, with their biggest ever run including two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace on November 20 and 21. Holding Absence and The Callous Daoboys will provide support. Every UK arena ticket includes a £1 donation to the Music Venue Trust, continuing a scheme Enter Shikari pioneered in 2024.

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The Afraid of the Dark tour arrived in London on 14th February with Make Them Suffer and Dayseeker in support, and what followed was an evening that went from gut-punch heavy to genuinely moving and back again, sometimes within the same song.

Last time we saw Motionless In White in London, at Brixton Academy, they exuded gothic glamour. That hasn’t gone anywhere, but the production has levelled up. Over the years we’ve watched this band build momentum, graduating through venue sizes and growing a fiercely loyal UK fanbase along the way.

Alexandra Palace has a 10,000 capacity, perched on a hill overlooking the city. And the view of London from Ally Pally as the sun set and the city lights spread out below? Not a bad way to start a Valentine’s evening. Before we got inside though, a word on logistics: the queue for the toilets on arrival was absolutely insane. Good luck if you really needed to go. And £70 for a hoodie? In this economy? Perhaps enough fans are willing to pay that it just works, but it does sting.

Perth’s Make Them Suffer opened proceedings, and the Australian metalcore outfit wasted no time. Some thumping beats gave way to blast beats, and vocalist Sean Harmanis was demanding London get on its feet from the off.

Then came the contrast that makes this band special. Alex Reade’s clean vocals entered like a melodic hug, her voice threading through the heaviness with a warmth that hit right in the feels. The interplay between her melodic delivery and Harmanis’s brutal vocals is so good! There’s a moment where she sings with such vulnerability, and then the heavy vocals crash back in around her. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work this well, but absolutely does.

The guitarist’s two-step dance moves and fierce facial expressions while shredding were brilliant, very entertaining to watch. Somewhere in the crowd, fans were holding up an Australian flag, showing love for the band’s roots. Which is nice since they’er performing 10,000 miles from home.

During ‘Privilege’, the call went out: when we jump, you jump. Everyone near the front was going for it. There was a dubstep section, a hefty “blergh” from Harmanis, and the entire crowd repeatedly punching the air in perfect sync. The energy was huge. For the last song of the set, Harmanis demanded crowdsurfers, and they kept on coming.

Things went pitch black for Dayseeker‘s entrance, and the California outfit opened with ‘Pale Moonlight’. Red stage light beamed across the room like a hot sun as vocalist Rory Rodriguez delivered every word with intensity. Rodriguez was wearing sunglasses throughout, which felt very on-brand for the atmospheric emo-rock vibe the band trades in.

The setlist leaned heavily on their 2025 album Creature In The Black Night, and they played a brand new song too. ‘Crawl Back to My Coffin’ landed with real weight, with Rodriguez explaining it was about finding comfort in isolation. The room was full of phone lights swaying on request, synths washing over atmospheric passages. A different energy entirely to the other two bands on the bill. More contemplative. More emotionally exposed.

‘Burial Plot’ saw Rodriguez asking the crowd to sing as loud as they could, and they delivered. When he told us we were the best crowd of the whole tour — well, did he say that in your city too? Perhaps. But in the moment, you believe it.

Rodriguez shared that Dayseeker played in the UK back in 2012 to just two people, and the gratitude for how far they’ve come was palpable. ‘Without Me’ was introduced as the song for anyone who came tonight specifically to sing with Dayseeker. ‘Sleeptalk’ followed, and ‘Neon Grave’ closed out their set.

If there’s an honest critique, it’s one I’d worried about before the show. Listening to Dayseeker on YouTube, there’s a risk of things feeling a bit samey, and that did hold true live to a degree. The opening songs were absolutely epic, but I found myself hoping for more variation as the set progressed. That said, the emotional weight of their performance provided a genuinely effective bridge between Make Them Suffer‘s chaos and what was about to come.

Between sets, the crowd entertained themselves by building cup towers in the distance, cheering and wooing every time they got close to toppling, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ played over the PA.

And then came the rave cat. If you know, you know. Motionless In White announced themselves with a giant visual of a cat spinning through the galaxy, a gloriously absurd calling card before the Scranton goth-metallers got down to business. In true MIW fashion, they opened with a “blergh” and launched straight into ‘Meltdown’.

From the first seconds, it was explosive. Fire, headbanging straight off the bat, and The Cherry Bombs joining in, using flamethrower-adjacent machines and angle grinders on their crotches to shower the stage in sparks. Motionless In White understand their stage presence aesthetic, and they delivered it relentlessly.

‘Sign of Life’ had Chris demanding that when he counted to four, the entire floor went up and down, and it did. “Holy shit,” he said, looking out at the crowd. “Light up this crowd, let me see London right now” he said in a really genuie moment, where he looked as if he could not belive his eyes, taking it all in. ‘A-M-E-R-I-C-A’ followed, and Chris was covered in confetti, Marilyn Manson-style vocals weaving through tracks while spiralling visuals played on the screens behind him.

‘Voices’ was enormous, with that spiral visual on screen creating an almost hypnotic atmosphere. Then Chris took a moment to address the crowd before the next song, the new single that gives the tour its name, and a celebration of the band’s journey.

“And now here we are, 2026, headlining fucking Ally Pally”

He spoke about how this UK and European run has produced some of the biggest headline shows of their entire career, with Manchester, Düsseldorf, and others beating out numbers from their last US headliner in 2023. “I cannot describe to you how amazing and how grateful we are for that,” he told us. Then he talked about London specifically, how the band have played London so many times over the years, starting at The Underworld in Camden all the way back in 2011. “And now here we are, 2026, headlining fucking Ally Pally,” he said. “And that is because of every single one of you. Twenty years of insane support.” He asked London to make some noise for themselves, and the place erupted. Then he dedicated the song to the fans, a song about that journey, and launched into ‘Afraid of the Dark’.

And then came ‘Werewolf’! This writer was wearing her custom Werewolf jacket from Saints of the Undead, a replica of the one worn by Chris in the music video, and I found another person in the crowd wearing theirs. Seeing The Cherry Bombs dance to ‘Werewolf’ in the flesh, having watched them in the music video countless times, was very cool! On this tour, The Cherry Bombs had been offering dance classes throughout the run, open to anyone, no experience needed, which is such a brilliant touch for confidence and community. That spirit of inclusivity is part of what makes this whole operation special.

“One mutilation under god”

‘Hollow Points’ required maximum headbanging. ‘Slaughterhouse’ delivered the moment of the night for the heavy hitters. “One mutilation under god” roared out of thousands of throats simultaneously. My god, did we headbang. ‘Rats’ kept the intensity going before ‘Disguise’ had the room clapping in unison. ‘Nothing Ever After’, the ILLENIUM cover, provided a shift in texture, and ‘City Lights’ arrived as a nod to the old school fans (Chris made that clear), a cinematic moment that the Valentine’s Day setting deserved.

‘Scoring the End of the World’ built towards the encore, with Chris encouraging a circle pit before ‘Not My Type: Dead as Fuck 2’ kept the chaos going. ‘Soft’ followed, then ‘Cyberhex’ pulsed with futuristic energy.

Fans dressed as a banana and a pickle, unmistakably Fortnite‘s Peely and Rick the Pickle, had caught Chris’s eye earlier in the night, prompting him to muse about how cool it would be if MIW were known from a Fortnite song. Given that ‘Another Life’ was added to Fortnite‘s Music Pass in late 2025, and the band themselves have joked about wanting Fortnite skins, he might not have to wait long. The closing stretch was where Valentine’s Day truly came into its own. ‘Another Life’ filled the room with phone lights and voices singing along, the glow effect cascading down the screens as thousands of voices echoed the words back. And then, the finale. ‘Eternally Yours’. On Valentine’s Day. Chris told the crowd we got an extra night tonight, wished us all a happy Valentine’s Day, and left us with this: remember this if nothing else, we are eternally yours.

It was the perfect ending to a night that delivered on every level.

What’s Next?

So what’s next for Motionless In White? Higher festival slots feel inevitable. Bigger shows. New music that caters to both the heavy and the heartfelt, anthems we can scream our hearts out to. More gothic glamour. More leading the way. With a US tour alongside Bring Me The Horizon on the horizon, including Madison Square Garden, and festival appearances at Welcome to Rockville and Sonic Temple, the trajectory only goes in one direction.

If you needed proof they’re ready for it, Valentine’s night at Alexandra Palace was it.

Setlist

‘Meltdown’ / ‘Sign of Life’ / ‘A-M-E-R-I-C-A’ / ‘Thoughts & Prayers’ / ‘Voices’ / ‘Afraid of the Dark’ / ‘Werewolf’ / ‘Hollow Points’ / ‘Necessary Evil’ / ‘Slaughterhouse’ / ‘Rats’ / ‘Disguise’ / ‘Nothing Ever After’ (ILLENIUM cover) / ‘City Lights’ / ‘Scoring the End of the World’ / ‘Not My Type: Dead as Fuck 2’ / ‘Soft’ / ‘Cyberhex’ / ‘Another Life’ / ‘Eternally Yours’

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Lorna Shore might just be the most accessible heavy band on the planet right now, and if that’s something they deliberately strived for, they’ve absolutely achieved it. Anyone who heard their earlier material would tell you that seemed impossible. Yet here we are.

Frontman Will Ramos explains the track’s meaning: “‘In Darkness’ is about growing up feeling distant from everyone, a song about anxiety and being an outcast (as many of us metal fans grow from). It’s a song about embracing that outlandish and ostracised feeling. Knowing that we have grown in the shadows, the darkness of the world, but accepting that through that darkness we have become.”

Lorna Shore kick off their European run on January 23rd in Germany, with UK dates beginning February 8th at London’s Alexandra Palace, followed by Birmingham’s O2 Academy and Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. Joining them are Whitechapel, Shadow Of Intent, and Humanity’s Last Breath.

Fresh North American dates have also been announced, running from April 17th through May 22nd with Paleface Swiss and Signs Of The Swarm providing support. The run includes appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals.

I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me marks Lorna Shore’s fifth album and their first since 2022’s Pain Remains. The record has already earned spots on year end best of lists from Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and Loudwire. Combined with hundreds of millions of streams and viral Spotify success, the quintet continues proving that extreme metal can find massive audiences without compromising an ounce of intensity.

Tickets for North American dates go on general sale Friday, January 23rd at 9AM local time via LiveNation.com. European tickets are available now.

The post Lorna Shore Drop ‘In Darkness’ Video, Announce 2026 Tour appeared first on RAMzine.

The band’s fifth record drops special vinyl editions on January 23rd, 2026, and if you’ve been waiting three years since Pain Remains tore through the scene, this one’s been worth the anticipation.

Here’s what’s on offer: a gatefold clear 2LP available everywhere, plus a limited black and white splatter edition exclusive to HMV in the UK. Grab that HMV exclusive and you can snag entry to an in-store signing at HMV Oxford Street on February 7th, 2026 at 4pm. You’ll collect your vinyl and wristband on the day. If there’s room, walk-ins might get lucky, so keep an eye on HMV’s socials.

The signing sets up nicely for the following night when Lorna Shore take over Alexandra Palace on February 8th. Fair warning, though, Birmingham and Manchester dates have already sold out, so if you’re eyeing London, don’t hang about.

The full European run kicks off January 23rd with Whitechapel, Shadow of Intent, and Humanity’s Last Breath in tow. The tour spans 24 dates across 15 countries. Lorna Shore have earned their reputation as one of the most formidable extreme metal acts going, and this run proves they’re not slowing down!

Tickets are on sale now.

The post Lorna Shore’s HMV Signing and UK Tour 2026 appeared first on RAMzine.

A solid support bill is in place for the evening, a welcoming bill of four distinctly different rock acts. In particular, Boston Manor are probably one of the most exciting young bands coming out of the UK right now and tonight’s support slot just proved they’re perfect pickings for the big stages. A setlist primarily made up of tracks from 2018 release Welcome To The Neighbourhood kicks off with ‘Flowers In Your Dustbin’ and vocalist Henry Cox owning the stage from the get-go. ‘England’s Dreaming’ and ‘Bad Machine’ show off a grungier sound, but still with big choruses that fill the room with ease. Musically talented, lyrically creative and with a stage presence to match, big things deserve to come their way.

Next up, Sleeping With Sirens, a headline band in themselves, with a strong crowd of fans hanging on to every line of Kellin Quinn’s unique and recognisable singing voice. Their emo-punk sound and aesthetic is a good opener for the evening, bringing nostalgic influences to a modern day audience with ease.

It’s sometimes easy to forget how much of a back catalogue Good Charlotte have to choose from, and tonight’s set is peppered with absolute classics. ‘Girls and Boys’ is a world class pop punk anthem and speaking of, ‘The Anthem’ itself is up there with the best, too.

‘Predictable’ still has the same bite it did fifteen years ago, and GC debut single ‘Little Things’ throws right back to a rougher-edged sound from the band’s earliest output. And the hip-hop inspired ridiculousness of ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Girl’ doesn’t stop it from being an absolutely enthralling live track.

But it’s clear that to many of tonight’s audience, Good Charlotte are more than a ‘throwback band’. Songs from Generation RX, their latest release, are received with joy by a crowd that spans millennials, teenagers and even a fair few older fans. Delving into issues that range from grief and loss to addiction and trauma, tracks like ‘Prayers’, ‘Shadowboxer’ and ‘Self Help’ speak to both young and old lyrically.

Good Charlotte have inspired legions of fans, many of which have gone on to create their own music. One of such musicians is Architects’ Sam Carter; who makes a welcome surprise appearance, to perform Leech (his track with the GC boys from Generation RX) for the first time.

The final run lines up some of GC’s biggest and best: ‘The River’, ‘Dance Floor Anthem’ and ‘I Just Wanna Live’ demonstrate a diversity in sound, all still with the ability to create a polished and powerful chorus.

And of course, the show has to end with the iconic Good Charlotte track, ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’. For this one there’s no standing still, no voices that aren’t singing and no beer left unspilt on Alexandra Palace’s floor. It’s been over 20 years since the Good Charlotte journey began, but these fathers of pop punk have still got the chops and the tunes to stand as a truly impressive live band for a whole new generation.

The post A career-spanning performance from Good Charlotte at London’s Alexandra Palace appeared first on RAMzine.

We climb the steep hill that is the walk up to Alexandra Palace. As one of the most highly anticipated shows in the metal calendar this year so far, the merriment at the top of the hill is in full swing when we arrive. Fan’s sit in duvet covers and foil blankets on what was predicted to be one of winters coldest night this year so far, the queue stretches long around Alexandra Palace as more and more people start to arrive. Inside we are met by a host of food outlets, catering for everyone’s needs (I recommend the vegan chicken balls). On this Saturday night as the venue fills up quickly, so does the queue at the bar and before we know it we are surrounded by gig-goers in PWD/KSE t-shirts ready for the night ahead.

First up is Thy Art Is Murder from Sydney, Australia. Vocalist CJ McMahon stands hooded as a string of profanities leave his mouth before pummeling into ‘The Purest Strain of Hate‘. Next up ‘Holy War’ one of their most well known songs from their 2015 album of the same name. They warm the crowd appropriately, but the crowd are already ready to be honest with you. CJ puts his hands together as if to pray and signal a thanks to the crowd before taking off his cardi, swearing about how cold the UK is, and burping down the mic. You get what you see with Thy Art Is Murder, they are straight talking and just here to play heavy as fuck music – you don’t really need much more when opening for a show such as this.

Next up Killswitch Engage, who of course should not need any introduction. However it did occur to me that whilst many grew up with KSE on our CD walkmans soon followed by iPods, there are also a whole breed of younger generation and new fellow metalheads joining us tonight. Almost introduced to Killswitch by Parkway. Our message is simple, if you have not delved into them just yet, you need to make sure that you listen to their music video playlist on YouTube immediately! They are one of those bands who you don’t realise just how many classic tracks they have until you start listening through.

Opening with ‘Strength of Mind’ off of 2016’s Incarnate is a great choice, and so the belting of lyrics from the crowd starts… and we don’t stop until the end of the night. Front man Jesse Leach says “Hello London! Let me hear you sing” as everyone replies “Seeeeek Meeeee, Callll Meeee…” at the top of their lungs! I don’t know anyone that can resist singing along with ‘End of Heartache’. A few tracks later Jesse announces “Hey London cheers!… Our governments keep us separated, this goes out to the government because… fuck the government! This is ‘Hate By Design’.” Let’s be honest most of us could not agree more with that statement over the past few years. The circle pit is at large for ‘Rose of Sharyn’ and soon after everything goes dark apart from the stage as they sing an absolutely beautiful version of ‘Always’ – this song is just so important in terms of highlighting mental health and it really gets the emotions going.

It’s been an absolute dream set of all the hits: ‘Strength of Mind’, ‘End of Heartache’, ‘Beyond the Flames’,  ‘My Curse’, ‘Rose of Sharyn’, ‘Just Barely Breathing’, ‘Hate by Design’, ‘Always’, ‘My Last Serenade’, ‘This Is Absolution’, ‘In Due Time’.

The moment we have been awaiting since Download ’18 has finally arrived. Parkway Drive enter Alexandra Palace from the back of the room surrounded by an entourage of security, promoters and crew. Winston in the middle wearing a regal fur coat, they are holding sticks of fire… this must be one of the best entrances we have ever seen. The band walks through the crowd and has to jump over the front barrier! This is a brave move, but everyone simply accepts it and parts, I saw a couple of guys bowing as the band past them.

Feelings are intense, Winston and the band are under lights whilst the rest of the room remains in darkness, as he speaks the opening words of ‘Wishing Wells’. Looking around at the crowd and the faces of people are of absolute and complete joy, there is a girl next to me in blissful tears. It’s seeing people be able to let out these emotions at gigs that always inspired me to be a music journalist, because witnessing that sheds a light on just how import music is to people.

Then comes some of their biggest classics ‘Prey’, ‘Carrion’ and ‘Vice Grip’ – somewhere between these songs I got absolutely covered in beer and I must say I didn’t even care. For a lot of fans we have been waiting to sing along word for word until our voices are no more, to crowd surf and dance/mosh, these tracks provide the perfect environment to let loose to do so. Winston commendably tells the crowd to look after each other, “If someone falls down, you pick them up!”, this is an important message that all should be reminded of at every gig. At this moment this crowd of people are one big happy family and we don’t want anyone to get hurt; just sometimes party-goers/moshers need a little reminder to check themselves.

There is something about watching ‘Cemetery Bloom’, Winston in the light, the crowd in darkness, which makes him incredibly human and relatable. The bands entrance earlier on surly gave them that rockstar mystique. But there has never been any hint of arrogance or debauchery from Parkway Drive themselves, they come across as extremely humble. When music is real, the words are true and it comes from the heart, that’s when incredible music is made and there is a strong connection with everyone in the room.

People are in worlds of their own, complete joy, dancing – As we all sign “Welcome To A Wold of Pain”, the irony of lyrics sung by a room full of people having the best time. The light rains down the stage as Winston puts it “You’re mad, your all fucking mad” before going into ‘Idols and Anchors’. By this time in the night the smell of smoke and fireworks is strong because Parkway use A LOT of fire!

For ‘Writings On The Wall’ we are treated to something a bit different as three violin players and a cellist join Parkway to play parts of the track and they remain to play ‘Shadow Boxing’ too. Parkway have really stepped up their live show in recent years and this set is full of lot’s of different elements. “Ah Jesus… You having fun? Me Too! Seriously, this is mental! I don’t know if you know but this is our biggest show” says Winston.

Winston suddenly appears in the middle of the crowd with just a spot light on him during ‘The Colour of Leaving’. It’s when he sings “I saw dads face again as he led my friend away…” that emotions run high again in this truly sombre yet magical moment, ending the song with his haunting spoken words.

Everything ends, everything is dark, but you didn’t think Parkway would play their biggest London show without doing an encore, right? Of course not, Winston says “Were not fucking done here London”! They’re back and they unleash the IRE artwork and we are SO ready for these tracks! They play ‘Crushed’ and it’s after this track that they announced their headline spot at Bloodstock Festival this year. Very well deserved in our opinion after everything we have just witnessed! “I’ve been dreaming about this show” says Winston as they play their very last song of the night ‘Bottom Feeder’. Parkway have really pulled out all the stops tonight and made their biggest London show as special as they could.

Parkway Drive Set-List

1. Wishing Wells
2. Prey
3. Carrion
4. Vice Grip
5. Karma
6. Cemetery Bloom
7. The Void
8. Idols and Anchors
9. Dedicated
10. Absolute Power
11. Writings on the Wall
12. Shadow Boxing
13. Wild Eyes
14. Chronos
15. The Colour of Leaving

Encore:

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With such a huge offering, we were only able to catch a fraction of the bands, but we did however catch the cream of the crop!

First up was The Word Alive, as the first band of the entire day they held the biggest crowd until later on that night. They set everyone up for what was to be one hell of a day. Full of energy and nothing but love for the UK, they had the East Stage jumping until the music stopped. This band will always be one of my favourites and this set reminded me why.

After a quick 10 second shuffle to the sister (west) stage, we saw the return of Metro Station. The LA pop band made an entrance like none before, reciting that the band was back together for a new venture into ‘This Crazy World‘. Everyone in the building was singing along and as soon as they started playing ‘Shake It’ the whole place erupted into song and dance! It wasn’t until they played a ‘new song’ that everyone realised what this might mean for the future of the band…

We then had a pit stop; a bite to eat and pint or two of golden nectar; as we sipped out drinks, we took some time looking around the various Vans and record label merch tents.

Next up was the one, the only, August Burns Red…. The first band to hold the new title for “Biggest draw” goes to these guys, before they had even got on stage!
As always William Jacob ‘Jake’ Luhrs was ready to not only tear the shit out of the stage but also get everyone to do the same! The circle pit was intense, much like a bunch of wildebeest being ravaged by a pack of lions. The stage presence was unreal as the whole band took turns in showing some flair and demanding more. This is by far one of the best performances I’ve seen to date.

Over at the Jukely Stage, I caught Beautiful Bodies; a band I had never heard of but quite frankly, I am extremely happy I let these guys into my life. The female fronted rock n roll band from Kansas took the crowd by surprise and had a belter of a performance. Even though not many knew the words, everyone was jumping and enjoying the show. One of the first things I did when I got home was check these guys out on YouTube and Facebook, and I honestly think you should do the same.

Then it was time for a band I really enjoy, Chunk! NO, Captian CHUNK!. The band have been around since 2007 but I was surprised to find out not that many people had heard them before their latest album. The French “Easycore” band that take from pop punk, hardcore punk and heavy metal absolutely destroyed the stage, with their formidable performance! Throwing together both old and new songs, if you wasn’t a fan before, you are now! And to cement this, one of the bands favourite covers ‘All Star’ went down a treat, much like a nice cold cider on a hot summer afternoon! After the show Bertrand Poncet ran over to the merch stalls for a meet and greet, signing flyers and t-shirts and posing for selfies. What and epic half hour that was!

Next it was back to the main stages as I was preparing for the headliners, I was able to catch Reel Big Fish, while fellow RAMzine crew members Marcus went to watch one of his personal favourites, The One Hundred. Now, I don’t want to take anything away from RBF as they have been around a long time. They have seen bands come and go and they still stand, but (yes there is a but) I was able to narrate the entire performance start to end including sections between songs as if I was from the future. Sadly, as much as time travel excites me this is not why I was able to; the band have played the same set list for over 5 years now, and it’s every show no matter where they play. So aside from having seen it before many times they did of course rock the stage and have everyone skanking. Rant over.

Now the moment I had been waiting for, Asking Alexandria. The first time in the UK with new vocalist Dennis since the dates earlier on got cancelled. And what a welcome to the roots of the AA family. The stage performance was what you would expect from these now veteran post hardcore metalers! My only gripe (this is a HUGE statement coming from an AA fan) was as fantastic as Dennis is, being able to sing and scream with perfect transitions, the mic volumes needed sorting. When he was singing I couldn’t help but hear Danny Worsnop’s voice in the backing track that was playing. When he was screaming it was predominant and strong and got everyone going. The interaction between the band and the crowd was a nice touch. They played two new songs written with Dennis and closed with ‘The Final Episode‘.

Having caught them in top form at Download earlier in the year, we knew what to expect from Black Veil Brides, they put on another cracking show. See our interview with the band here.

In all, Vans Warped Tour UK was an incredibly impressive event; the stage set up and number of performances squeezed into one day was astonishing. There was a great selection of food and drink and they did open the toilets, eventually.

Image credit for AA and featured BVB pic: PG Brunelli.

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