Okay, so Skarlett Riot might not be standard Ave Noctum fare, but we all need our guilty pleasures and to be honest, Skarlett Riot are one that we shouldn’t feel embarrassed about. Having been working hard since 2010, they have earned themselves a reputation as one of the UKs best hard rock/metal outfits and I was really looking forward to the chance to catch them again. However, before Skarlett Riot there was a decent looking line up of support acts.

Unfortunately work commitments meant that I missed the opening band but I arrived just as Sheffield’s Air Drawn Dagger took to the stage. Vocalist Maisie was the focal point as she cavorted around the stage and even joined the crowd as the trio pummelled through their six tracks, at one point encouraging the crowd to dance as though covered in sticky frogs!

Part rock, part pop, part grunge and all angst with a punky edge, Air Drawn Dagger were energetic during their sing along anthems and they had the crowd wrapped around their collective little fingers. ‘My Murder of Crows’ was perhaps my highlight but the whole set was really enjoyable and this is a band very much on the rise.

Next up were the Black Country’s Liberty Lies who took to the stage as though they were headliners with some very enthusiastic fans in the crowd! Their straight up hard rock was infectious and the whole crowd were soon hooked as they ripped through ‘Undivided’ and ‘Mouth Breathers’.

There was plenty of interaction with the crowd and by the time ‘Coming Home’ was being aired there was adulation from those at the front.

And so it was time for Skarlett Riot to take to the stage for the final night on their ‘Invicta’ tour, not surprisingly opening with the album’s opening tracks ‘Breaking the Habit’ and ‘Gravity’. The band were energetic onstage, not least Dan on lead guitars who was furiously head banging for most of the set. Older tracks ‘Break’ and ‘Closer’ followed as the band really gathered momentum, but 2017’s ‘Regenerate’ album was as far back as things went with 2013’s ‘Tear Me Down’ being overlooked which was a real shame as there are some fantastic tracks on there.

As the set pressed on, an enthusiastic pit opened up, to the obvious delight of the band who were revelling in the energy from the crowd. Skarlett spent the entire set grinning from ear to ear, encouraging the crowd to take part in the show as she climbed on and off a light up box which had been positioned at the front of the stage. Every track sounded like an anthem with the crowd enthusiastically singing along, jumping around and lapping up every minute. All too soon, the set was being drawn to a close with ‘Warrior’ and ‘Human’ followed by the now obligatory band photo in front of the crowd.

Skarlett Riot deserve to be playing to bigger stages than this, and if the covid hiatus hadn’t stalled their momentum, I suspect that would be the case. But in the meantime, if you get the chance to catch them, don’t let it pass you by.

Words and Photos Andy Pountney