LIVE FROM THE PIT: Poppy, Ocean Grove and Fox Lake
- Katerina Stepanikova
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
When you hear the name POPPY, what do you think of first?
Bristol has seen yet another wave of metal fans at the beginning of March, as the Metal Queen POPPY made her way to the city as a part of her Constantly Nowhere Tour, promoting her latest release Empty Hands. Known for her artistic blend of everything heavy and pop, her appearance at the Electric Bristol was very anticipated by many fans.
Bringing with her OCEAN GROVE and FOX LAKE, two bands that would be a sin to miss out on.
Anyone who showed up at the venue earlier was swept down by the velocity of FOX LAKE’s energy instantly. The Denver trio surely did not wait for nothing and dived right into action with their short, but impactful performance. Their nu-metal tracks are filled to the brim with heavy vocals, aggressive guitars and unstoppable drums, and this was even more impressive live. Coupled with the vocalist Nathan Johnson’s frequent interactions with the crowd, who in return gave him proper moshpits and endless crowd-surfers throughout the set, as well as his “It’s still Free Palestine and Fuck Trump” speech, that was met with an immediate positive response from the crowd, there would hardly be anyone else who would be a better fit for the opening slot that night than FOX LAKE.
When the lights dimmed down for the second time, it was obvious OCEAN GROVE was a band many people waited to see that night, as the Australian five-piece received big applause on their way to the stage. However, not only the crowd anticipated the band’s return, as the vocalist Dale Tanner made clear almost immediately, while hyping up the crowd — which did not need much effort to do. Anyone who is not familiar with the band might have been surprised when Tanner and the band’s bassist Brent “Twiggy” Hunter swapped positions during Raindrop, spicing up their stage presence a bit.
Right after that, the band asked for even more crowd-surfers and was given exactly that, creating a beautiful chaos on the floor. OCEAN GROVE closed their set with a big applause from the Bristol’s audience and it was to no surprise the Aussies expressed their gratitude multiple times, being grateful for the opportunity to play in the city.
If the support bands gave the best of their nu-metal chaos to Electric Bristol, POPPY brought a completely different atmosphere. The fans were greeted by a narration that continued throughout the whole set, revealing the secrets of the vocalist’s twisted world, before transitioning into Bruised Sky. While the set was showcasing the vast versatility of her work and promoting the new album Empty Hands, majority of the set was made of the songs from her 2024 album Negative Spaces, and included many of the heavier songs, such as the center’s falling out, they’re all around us and Concrete.
POPPY’s theatrics, as well as dances are an important feature of her sets, but so are the stunning visuals on the background screen that accompanied each of the fifteen songs, and while they were not as memorable as the performance, they still contributed to the overall impression. Songs such as Scary Mask are a big part of her lore as well, as it tied the singer to the masks the rest of the band members wore for the whole duration of the show, providing more context.
It was not a surprise the fans knew every song word by word, but the closer the set was to the end, the louder the crowd became. By the time it was time for everyone’s favourite V.A.N., originally from BAD OMENS, everyone not only started interacting more, but also filled in for Noah Sebastian’s iconic bark, creating a funny little moment. By the time POPPY was closing the set with new way out, there was still a plenty of crowd-surfers, who were not ready to give up until the last second, especially since the vocalist herself kept hyping up everyone to mosh and crowd-surf, and the definitive ending felt like it should have come a bit later than it actually did.
There is no doubt this was most likely POPPY’s last tour at smaller venues, as her popularity grows rapidly, and it was an unforgettable experience to see her perform for a crowd, that still felt tight. The evening was a deep-dive into her own odd and twisted world, that is never staying the same. If there was ever the best time to start listening to POPPY, it is indeed now.
Words: Katerina Stepanikova
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