Lacuna Coil / Blind Channel - SWG, Glasgow 21st October 2024

There is a rather healthy crowd in the venue. As the lights go down, to an almighty cheer for the support. A band from Oulu, Finland, they are a Nu Metal/Rap Metal band called Blind Channel. If the name rings a bell, and you are a Eurovision Song Contest follower, Blind Channel represented their country back in 2021 in The Netherlands, with a song called "Dark Side". Finishing in a very respectable 6th place, unfortunately not quite equalling fellow Fins Lordi, who won back in 2006. I am an avid follower of Finnish, as well as other Scandinavian Rock and Metal, but for some reason Blind Channel have slipped through the net, however, this is not the case with the Glasgow audience, who seem to know the band pretty well. I wish I had the time to do some research into the band before the gig, rather than while editing their photos from the gig, then maybe I would have known what to expect and possibly given the lads more credit on the night than I did, Sorry lads! But now sitting writing this piece, I have to admit these lads know how to party! The bands set up is very similar to Nu Metal legends Linkin Park! There was one song that stuck out, it was a rather unique version of a Backstreet Boys song "Everybody" although they add their own subtitle "Bloodbrother's Back" rather than the original "Backstreets Back".

Tonight's headliners are a band I've followed for, (just checked my album collection) over two decades, it's difficult to take in that I bought "Comalies" twenty two years ago! I remember going into Impulse Records in East Kilbride and buying the album after hearing "Heavens A Lie" as if it was yesterday! The Band are out on the "We Fear Nothing" tour. Opening tonight's epic show is "Blood, Tears, Dust" from their "Delirium" album. I could sit here and wax lyrically about the whole setlist tonight, but this review could end up as long as the Encyclopaedia Britannica! All four tracks from this years release "Oxygen" were part of tonight's set, the stand out song, for me, is "Hosting The Shadow" which features Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God, unfortunately he didn't appear in Glasgow. We also had our fair share of older songs too. Including sing along songs "Our Truth" "Heaven's A Lie" plus their radio friendly, classic, cover of Depeche Modes "Enjoy The Silence" which is the last song, before the encore.

We get four songs in tonight's encore, "Aeon", "Tight Rope", "Swamped" before the final song Cristina has a chat with the crowd, telling us that we are the reason they keep coming back to Glasgow, saying it could be sooner rather than later, with the new album "Sleepless Empire" coming early next year. Cristina then lets us all know the band has a saying "We Fear Nothing" and gets everyone chanting "We Fear Nothing" over and over again before bursting into "Nothing Stands In Our Way". When the song ends Cristina continues with the "We Fear Nothing" chant for a bit, then says her goodbyes and the band poses for the final group photo. Suffice to say, this was probably the best I've heard the band to date.

As always, if you have not heard any of the bands above, please pay a visit to the usual social media platforms, and give them a listen, you might like what you hear!

See you at the barrier!