LIVE FROM THE PIT: Volbeat, Bush and Witch Fever

It takes time for a band to be able to tour arenas. It takes skill to be able to pull it off. VOLBEAT delivered a truly professional arena performance on the last night of their world tour. 

Opening was Manchester’s WITCH FEVER. They brought a mixture of grunge-goth and metal to the stage, which is not very usual for an arena setting. Yet the band knew how to command such a large stage this early in their career. Having recently released their second album Fevereaten, they treated the audience to many tracks from the album. Their sound created a haunting mood with a dense atmosphere. They effortlessly blended all their influences into a singular sound only they could play. It felt as if the band is gaining big recognition with their music and will one day be headlining this very same arena. However, they felt like an unusual choice on the lineup as their sound does not necessarily align directly with VOLBEAT, although the headliner has always been about celebrating all things metal.  

Next on the lineup was BUSH, who brought their post-grunge sound for a fifty-minute set. Their sound had a brooding atmosphere that separates them from many others in the genre. The band works as a four-piece to bring their sound together, taking the crowd back to the 90s. BUSH were massive in the 90s and it is clear there was a large contingent of their fans in Wembley. The band played some classics, as well as newer tracks, balancing it well for an arena support set. The highlight of the set came during the final track, when the frontman GAVIN ROSSDALE left the stage and began singing in the crowd. He wanted to bring the crowd closer to the band and this was the easiest way to do it. People started moshing around him and the set rushed to a close. After the surprise, everyone was ready for VOLBEAT to take over the stage.

VOLBEAT knows how to do arena rock right. The opening of the set was a peak arena cheese, a giant curtain with the shadows of the members on fell down during the first song to reveal the band. From that very moment, VOLBEAT had the crowd in the palm of their hand. The stage itself was perfect for an arena as it was complete with a long runway and multiple microphones, so frontman MICHAEL POULSEN could sing and perform close to every section of the crowd. His passion for his craft was evident, as he brought joy to every song. The band flawlessly played every track they touched and left just enough space for the audience to sing along to every fan favourite song.

For a band that is often criticised for not being very metal, the show was a proof why they are true metal. Some of their riffs had that specific heaviness that makes one pull a face like they sniffed something nasty. The fans went as hard as possible in the pit and nothing could stop them even when they slipped over. The band is not one dimensional, the members can make the crowd laugh, cry and mosh all during the same night. When JOHAN OLSEN joined them on stage to play For Evigt, the crowd had a collective emotional moment. VOLBEAT does everything on stage for their fans and puts everything they can into their shows. There was no encore as Volbeat did not need gimmicks for their set, it was simply good rock and roll. The one thing the fans will always take with them from a VOLBEAT set is a giant smile and perhaps a few tears.  

Words: Will Freeman