LIVE FROM THE PIT: The Dead Collective and Anchor Lane

THE DEAD COLLECTIVE embarked on their first ever headline UK tour with twelve shows this April, we were lucky enough to catch them at their London stop at O2 Academy Islington. The Metamorphosis tour is a perfectly polished show full of their best rock and roll tracks, with more shows throughout the UK still to go.

The London supporting act was ANCHOR LANE all the way from Scotland, this being the first show they’ve played in London for four years. Before they started the room was slowly filling out with people of all ages gathering to experience the show, as the lights dimmed everyone shuffled forward filling any empty areas to get the best view of the stage. They even had some fans in the crowd cheering very loudly that were singing along and dancing throughout their set. 

They treated the stage as their own as the crowd foot tapped and head bopped along to the beat, the band even asking the room to clap along every now and then which of course they did. They filled us in on the antics of their London trip so far with van troubles, a twelve hour drive and hotel issues but they still delivered a flawless set full of rock bangers. 

One song we noted was Ministry, a song with many different sections and an overall more melancholic tone. It was catchy and featured everything a good rock track needs, guitar solos, drum fills and impressive vocals to decorate. The band displays great showmanship, knowing how to move on the stage and interact with each other and the crowd, they definitely left their mark at Islington. 

Between sets the crowd chattered and exchanged both their thoughts on the opener and their expectations of the lead, until the lights went low again and it was finally time for the main event. THE DEAD COLLECTIVE used their own lighting rig that timed perfectly with their music which made a huge difference just for their intro. Their silhouettes slowly appeared as the music ramped up and the room erupted into cheers. 

As the lights came up the three had a very clear rock and roll aesthetic all with long flowing hair that they used to their advantage when moving around the stage. All three of them were constantly moving, playing with other band members and singing along even without mics. 

Their songs were full of shredding guitar solos as the two guitarists played together, harmonising through their strings or bringing rage with distorted chords. The lead vocalist OLI BROWN had striking live vocals remaining extremely clean and on pitch throughout, having been in the music industry either solo or part of a band the majority of his life his professionalism is clear to see.

The band didn't take many breaks between songs with many of them naturally flowing into the next but they did take a moment to thank everyone for coming despite the various train strikes that had affected the majority of the city that night. As they played each track you could see fans of all ages in the crowd dancing along and filming on their phones to store some memories. 

One section of the show saw them playing some newer tracks that switch up the tempo a bit, like Cracks which featured a more electronic beat still being played live by the drummer via a sound board. They had a bass line that shook the venue and OLI BROWN took to a more low vocal tone throughout, a different direction to the rest of the set but was definitely well received by the fans. 

As they closed up their set they thanked everyone for coming again ending with their track Falling as their lights continued to flash behind them. They left a lasting impression on the venue as we and hopefully many of the crowd would love to see them return to the capital. It was a night full of pure rock from start to end that satisfied everyone's crave for a show without fault. 

The band still have more shows to go on this tour and much more in the works as well as having just released their single Goliath we can wait to see what they do next!

Words and photos: Amy Smyth