The Blackout, Dead Pony and Lunars
O2 Academy, Birmingham
23rd February 2024
Having found fame with The Vamps, guitarist and vocalist Connor Ball seems set to take on the world with his new project Lunars. Due to Connor’s previous work, Lunars have a fanbase that verges on Beatlemania and they scream and sing-along to every word, while drummer Sasa Macek ensures they kick some serious ass. Their short but snappy set leaves us hungry for more, and if you want to know how heavy two musicians can get, Lunars is the answer.
After wooing the crowd at last year’s 2000 Trees festival, Dead Pony are now looking like 2024’s breakout band. In vocalist Anna Shields they have the makings of a style icon, and there’s plenty of substance on offer as the band lock in tightly to deliver a sound to which you can dance and mosh. Using the Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo’ as an intro is very prophetic, and Dead Pony certainly cast a spell over the venue, making this a solid set from a band who are primed to become future headliners.
It’s a welcome return for The Blackout after their lengthy hiatus, and judging by the size of tonight’s crowd it’s heartening to see they’ve slipped from no one’s memory, but then again, this Merthyr Tydfil crew are hard to forget. With their twin vocal attack they make an arresting experience, and from the very first note, they’re all over the stage like a rash. Their energy is highly contagious and infects all present, and it doesn’t take long for waves of crowd surfers to crash over the barrier. In fact, the set has to be stopped a couple of times when things get a little too crazy, but it’s all in the right spirit and is in tune with their take-no-prisoners ethos. With their bombastic sound and anthemic songs (such as ‘Children Of The night’), The Blackout can’t go wrong and there’s a lot of love in the house for this sextet. On tonight’s evidence, The Blackout are a contemporary force and this gig is no exercise in nostalgia. Welcome back, lads!
Review and photos by Peter Dennis