Lacuna Coil and Blind Channel - Manchester Academy 20/10/24 ⋆ Ave Noctum

Lacuna Coil, being reviewed on these gnarly pages I hear you ask? Surely not? Well, even the most resolute extreme metal fan needs a little bit of variety and here at Ave Noctum towers, we are partial to a bit of gothic alternative metal so we made our way to Manchester to spend a Sunday evening with the Lacuna Coil on their “In the Meantime…..” tour.

The venue filled up quickly, and although it never reached full capacity, it was full enough for a good atmosphere without being uncomfortable. The Lacuna Coil die hards packed against the barrier while others formed a very civilised, orderly queue for the merch which snaked around the venue rather than the usual scrum.

Opening the night were Blind Channel, who are perhaps not as well-known on these shores as elsewhere but there was a contingent down the front who treated the band as headliners, singing back every single word and jumping on every command. Opening with ‘Deadzone’ and ‘Where’s the Exit’, the Finns soon won over the crowd with their infectious pop infused nu-metal anthems as they charged around the stage looking resplendent in their matching red and black stage attire.

The pace slowed a little mid set for ‘Die Another Day’ which had the crowd waving their lighters/mobile phones in the air in unison. Before long System of a Down cover ‘B.Y.O.B.’ was ringing out around the venue before ‘Wolves in California’ which was accompanied by a call for a big pit.

‘Balboa’ followed with another call for a big circle pit and was followed by teasing snippets of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘Last Resort’ before the crowd were asked whether there were any Backstreet Boys fans in the building. This was met by a loud shout of ‘No’ from somebody in the crowd, but the band of course ignored this and led into their cover of ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)’. The party was in full swing by this point with most being able to appreciate the irony of the cover.

The set was inevitably brought to a close with ‘Dark Side’, the track which the band played when representing Finland in the Eurovisions back in 2021. This was greeted with a loud roar and lots of singing along which the band seemed to appreciate before they left the stage to Britney Spears’ ‘…Baby One More Time’.

Although perhaps not to everyone’s taste, there is no doubt that Blind Channel made some new fans during their 45 minute set, and it is a shame that they have announced an indefinite hiatus. What their future holds remains to be seen, but it feels that they could soon be headlining arenas if they can return before too long.

During the stage turnaround, a rotating Lacuna Coil logo appeared own the video screen at the back of the stage as the atmosphere became a little more serious after Blind Channel’s party. With no new album to support, I was looking forward to a ‘greatest hits’ set, and possibly a couple of new tracks as I headed to the photo pit.

Opening with ‘Blood Tears Dust’ and playing in dense red lights, the band appeared mostly as silhouettes as Andreas and Cristina’s vocals worked well together giving a nice balance. It took until track three, ‘Trip the Darkness’, before the crowd really found their collective voice but from then on, the volume never really died down.

Recent single ‘Oxygen’ came early and sounded huge, hopefully laying down a marker for the next album. Crowd pleaser ‘Our Truth’ and its glorious stomping melody was greeted with a huge roar from the crowd, and Cristina looked genuinely humbled by the response before speaking with the crowd, reflecting how music helps and heals people and also how much the crowds at their shows help the band, leading into a powerful rendition of ‘Entwined XX’.

This was followed shortly after by the epic ‘Heaven’s a Lie XX’ which culminated in a short karaoke. A couple more newer tracks followed in the form of ‘In the Meantime’ and ‘Hosting the Shadow’, either side of ‘Veneficium’. The former is classic Lacuna Coil with dual vocals, crunchy guitars and stomping riffs, while the latter is perhaps a little faster and heavier, and of course has Randy Blythe guesting on the studio version.

The crowd were given chance to exercise their voices again on ‘Enjoy the Silence’, and although this is a Depeche Mode cover, Lacuna Coil have really made this their own and it is firmly embedded in their live set now.

Cristina then took the opportunity to introduce Daniele Salomone who was filling in on guitars before the main portion of the evening was brought to a close with another newer track ‘Never Dawn’. After a short gap, the band return for the ‘Comalies’ heavy encore before a rampant ‘Nothing Stands in our Way’ brought the set to a triumphant end.

Lacuna Coil had been on great form, and their set passed really quickly, with every track being lapped up by the crowd. I enjoyed hearing the newer tracks live, but I found myself disappointed that the band didn’t touch the first two albums, which is a shame a there is some great material there.