Lacuna Coil: Bristol O2 Academy (26/10/24)

Back in the beginning of October, I was able to sit down over a Zoom meeting with Andrea Ferro from Lacuna Coil and got to talk about new music; the upcoming album, and more appropriately for now, the upcoming UK tour. It went well, and we got some great insight into the bands’ ideology and plans going forward into their next chapter. (You can check out that interview here). Things were looking very interesting and exciting as we counted down the days until Valentine’s Day for the new album “Sleepless Empire”, but, in the meantime, if you will…we have that tour to focus on, and on Saturday, October 26th, Lacuna Coil pulled into Bristol’s O2 Academy for the final night of their stop-gap UK run. All About The Rock followed up on the interview by attending the Bristol show…here’s what went down. 

The day began incredibly well, as I traveled the 64 miles for the bargain price of fuck all! Between my hometown, getting to Cardiff Central, switching platforms, going to Bristol Parkway, switching platforms, and getting to Bristol Temple Meads…not one conductor came by, so I had a free trip. That easily saved me three pints at least. If anyone from Great Western Rail reads this…shhhhhhh. I get into Bristol, check into my room, get ready, realize they’ve teased me by locking the fridge/mini bar in my room, and as is tradition, I head over to The Hatchet Inn to watch the queue, awaiting friends and enjoy a beer before the show.  

The queue to begin with is relatively small, and as I sit with my beer, some guys sit next to me who have been to a Halloween party…one went as Clint Eastwood and was fixated on his toy gun (I’m glad this is an English pub and not an American school) and the other went as Pikachu, (Pikachu may have plenty of PP for his turn-based moves but, bullets are pretty much super effective against all forms of life, sorry Ash; RIPikachu). My friends came, we caught up and we ventured into the venue to catch tonight’s only support act; BLIND CHANNEL [8].

It’s taken off of their latest album “Exit Emotions” which gets a good showing tonight, as “Where’s The Exit” follows up immediately and there’s a noticeable increase in attitude and aggression in the vocals here, but they again blend everything very well with melodic pop sensibilities, and they’re about as accessible as a rock band can be. Tracks like “Die Another Day”, which originally featured RORY on guest vocals, still sound as emotive as intended without her presence, as the rock ballad fills the Academy venue, and it’s a heartfelt little number. 

Keeping the energy flowing however, they bust out a couple of covers and these are two tracks you never expect to hear from the same band on any given night, let me tell you. Firstly, they treat the crowd to a surprise rendition of “B.Y.O.B.” by SYSTEM OF A DOWN, which garners an excited singalong, before we get an absolutely wonderful cover of “Everybody (Backstreets Back)” by the BACKSTREET BOYS which gets a fucking HUGE singalong. I’ll say this here, and I will say this once. If you’re at an alternative metal gig, and the band busts out something like the Backstreet Boys, you are fucking singing along. I won’t have any of this “too cool for that” mentality, or metal elitism, or cringing, the lads are putting on a SHOW and they are owning it. Looking down on one of THE most successful pop acts in history just because you’re afraid of your image and credibility? Get a life ya’ double-denim dickhead. I digress…the band eventually finishes up on their huge Eurovision hit “Dark Side” and the energy simply spikes.  

For a band this vibrant, enthusiastic, and entertaining to need to call a hiatus so soon into a vastly promising career is a shame, but we understand the toll it takes on people. The touring, the press, the fame, the expectation, the pressure; it can be a lot and these fine Finns have done a LOT over the past couple of years, and if they’re burnt out, well fuck me, they’re human, they’re entitled to be. This was a brilliant set, from a brilliantly fun band and I hope they rest up, and at some point, come back with the same fire in their bellies that brought them this far. Kiitos lads.  

The funny thing? This was still just the opening act remember, as we still have our headliner to come, and what better way to round off a Saturday night, than LACUNA COIL [9]? Milan’s favorite metal legends begin their set with a scorching rendition of “Blood, Tears, Dust”, as if to say they’ve wiped them all away ready for the next chapter in the band’s legendary timeline. They’re wiping the slate clean ready for what comes in 2025 and as a statement, this is exciting. The crowd is so happy to see Cristina and Andrea, and the night just gets better from here on out… 

What followed was a sublime encapsulation of the bands’ career to date, as one package deal, reminding us just how much of a force Lacuna Coil has been in alternative metal over the past three decades. “Trip The Darkness” from 2012’s “Dark Adrenaline” gets the crowd singing along nice and early easing everyone into the stellar dual vocal onslaught of the Italians, such a bold chorus, and the crowd are lapping it up. The newest single “Oxygen” gets people really pumped up for new material as they also show the video on screen with some post-production for Halloween, zombifying the band members and it’s all very macabre, very metal. February can’t come soon enough I swear.  

Other new tracks like “Hosting The Shadow” get a good showing but without guest vocalist Randy Blythe it’s ever so slightly lacking, not to take away from the track itself, which is wonderfully pummelling. 2019’s “Black Anima” gets good representation too as the bands’ last proper album, with “Sword Of Anger” and “Apocalypse” going down well, before we go a little more old-school. 2006’s “Karamcode” gets recognition with “Our Truth” sounding incredibly tight, before a huge singalong for their iconic DEPECHE MODE cover of “Enjoy The Silence”. Just as HIM did with “Wicked Game”, it’s a track they’ve practically made their own, such is the strength of their take on the classic. You can’t not enjoy this.  

Speaking of iconic, they treat the packed-out crowd to superb renditions of “Heaven’s A Lie” and the medley of “Aeon” and “Tightrope” from “Comalies XX”, emphasizing the sheer quality that made them the band they are, with a modern, heavier twist, and that sums up where the band is right now. They appreciate their legacy, but as true artists, they continue to push forward and will explore sounds and styles as they have done over these past twenty years. The core principals are there, with Cristina being SUCH a powerhouse of a vocalist, as with Andrea, who is re-embracing the darkness and heaviness of his vocal growling on recent releases… aging like a fine Masseto Toscana.  

Tonight, Lacuna Coil shows exactly why they’re one of the biggest and most consistent names in the game, and while this might just be a stop-gap tour, they’ve pulled no punches and we certainly cannot wait for the release of “Sleepless Empire” in February…the band are fired up, they’re on perfect live form, and we’re already looking at an album of the year contender for 2025. Bold? Arguably…but they give you zero reason to doubt. It’s been a pleasure, guys, Grazie, thank you, the new album can’t come soon enough but, it’s been wonderful having you in the meantime…