Cradle Of Filth, Butcher Babies, High Parasite, Black Satellite
O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
31/10/24
It’s Halloween, the fans, at least some of them, have dressed for the occasion including a splendidly fun Harley Quinn stage hand. Brash New Yorker’s Black Satellite are here to very much get this party started. Singer Larissa Vale might share Pink’s hairstylist but her vocal is pure horns up metal. The music condenses industrial and alt rock into a brew that’s great on the ear and pit whippingly raucous live. This is a textbook lesson in how to make the most of a 25 minute opening set.
There’s a change of mood and pace when High Parasite hit the stage. Led by My Dying Bride crooner Aaron Stainthorpe this is a much more, dare we say it, accessible listen. The doom pop sound combined with those delicious vocal tones are irresistible. There’s a lovely balance to the set with some genuinely heavy moments mixed with subtle gothic splendour. Stainthorpe may be the focus but this band are strong in every department. Festival promoters take note, High Parasite need to be on your to book list.
The ambience changes again thanks to Butcher Babies uncompromising way of playing. This is metal concentrate, an undiluted guitar driven rampage. Central to the carnage is chaos demon Heidi Shepherd who simply rules the stage and when she starts a circle pit in the crowd herself, off it too. The look on the security guys faces is priceless. Newer material shows clear progression with cleaner vocals more prominent giving extra depth to the set. It’s a brave choice to include the ballad ‘Last December’ but it’s a beautiful addition that shows what a fine singer Shepherd is. Rather than kill the mood it only enhances it. Butcher Babies have been through so much and have come out of it stronger than ever, without fuss, without public drama. They are truly authentic right through to the bone and tonight you daren’t take your eyes off them. A headline UK tour would be warmly welcomed.
You have to give Cradle Of Filth credit for their staying power in what is a saturated part of the alternative music spectrum. They’ve stayed relevant and kept their fans when others haven’t by refusing to tread water when writing material. They’ve adapted and progressed to stay ahead of the game. Tonight you can hear this in the way the set is put together. Knowing that the show itself incredible that it is, and always has been, has to have a performance to back it up is where Cradle Of Filth score so heavily. The musicianship is sublime with each person being given a chance to shine. And then there’s Dani Filth, one of extreme metal’s supreme showmen. This is someone who has always had huge presence on a stage and has maintained that through attention to detail and a bursting inner confidence. The Kentish Town Forum is transfixed, taken for an hour and a half to another world where work and paying bills have no meaning. Tellingly it’s a surprise when it’s over, like a spell has been broken, always a sign of a great artist. But you’ll still have those memories to look back on – that time you saw Cradle Of Filth on All Hallows’ Eve. That really is something to file under extra special!.
Review and photos by Gary Trueman