LIVE REVIEW: Bury Tomorrow, We Came as Romans, Kingdom of Giants, Rock City, Nottingham, 19/01/2024
Photo Credit: Anthony Hunt (21st January – O2 Academy Bournemouth)
To fans of UK metalcore, Bury Tomorrow are a band that need no introduction as through the past fifteen years, they have set the standard for British metalcore, with every album showing a development in their sound.
Where many metalcore bands have breached into more ‘radio-friendly’ sound, Bury Tomorrow have not, and that’s likely why so many metal fans hold this band so dearly. There’s no bullshit, drama, politics, whatever – they make and play metalcore, better than 99% of bands out there. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that they have embarked on a near sold out UK tour with this particular night being sold out for as long as one can remember. From the first act of the night onwards, the place was heaving. Kicking off the night was Californian metalcore outfit Kingdom of Giants, whose twenty or so minute set was primarily comprised of their most recent record Passenger. Needless to say, this was a great warm up that had the freezing crowd that had travelled their way through the cold temperatures, had certainly warmed to. 8/10
After a half hour interval, the vastly popular We Came as Romans took to the stage, and this felt like a headline set in itself. Evidently, there was a strong following for the band that had travelled from Michigan, with opener Darkbloom immediately getting people into song. Although the crowd was a bit hesitant to move at the start (as previously mentioned, it was a very cold night!), lead singer David Stephens worked his magic, and with the help of a few heavy breakdowns, the place was bouncing in no time. Finishing on Black Hole, by the end of the song, everyone in the room was singing “I fall into a black hole in my head”, it was a great advertisement for a band that continues to go from strength to strength. 9/10
And now onto the main event, as the crowd eagerly awaited the headline act, there was certainly an air of anticipation as the band took to the stage, opening with the ludicrously heavy The Seventh Sun – and let’s be honest, any song that opens with “We bring pain” isn’t going to pull any punches.
Following a song like that with Abandon Us should be illegal as the whole room turned into a mosh pit, with the soon-to-be-iconic delivery of ‘how could they do that to us’ getting even the worst of metal vocalists giving it a try. As Begin Again followed, it was clear that tracks from the new album, The Seventh Sun, had been a resounding success.
Older tracks such as Man on Fire and An Honourable Reign went down well with some more of the old schoolers, whilst songs from the popular 2019 Black Flame LP already feel like classics. The title track from that record was a crowd surfer’s dream, with frontman Daniel Winter-Bates commanding “There’s two thousand of you in here, I want to see a thousand of you in the air”. All we can say is that a lot of people at the front will have had their work cut out trying not to get accidentally kicked or whacked as countless fans made their way over the barrier into the arms of a security guard, who probably wish he hadn’t agreed to this gig.
Visually, the band’s light show was impressive for the majority of the time, but you can’t help but feel there should have been more effort put into some of the songs. For instance, Wrath is a powerful emotive song, but then you have squares going bigger and smaller in the background for no apparent reason, it’s just a bit strange, and feels like more could’ve been done to make the experience of seeing that song live as powerful as the song itself.
Aside from that, there really was not much to fault at all, every band member gave their all and the appreciate they have for the position they are in as a band is great to see. There are no egos here!
Towards the back end of the set, Cannibal, Choke and Death (Ever Colder) aren’t a half bad way to finish a set. Cannibal had the room bouncing, Choke had you being propelled from one side of the room to the other like you were in a pinball machine. Whilst the cry of “Did you really think I gave up on life?” before the monumental breakdown to finish off the night was spine-tingling. What a night! Surely the arena stage is calling soon for the band that announced on stage that we would see them again in November. 9.5/10
Written by: Joe Loughran
