LIVE REVIEW: Hollywood Undead @ O2 Academy, Bristol

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD are one of those marmite bands that music produces on a regular basis; furiously loved by many, openly loathed by plenty. Tonight sees the pendulum swing towards those firmly in the first category, although why someone who regards the rap metal outfit with any sort of dismiss would choose to buy a ticket for their UK tour is a mystery. Also in the realms of the unknown is how this show at Bristol’s O2 Academy isn’t sold out; it’s busy, but with a fanbase as big as HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD’s, it’s still a surprise.

Opening band LOATHE have the unenviable task of getting tonight’s crowd warmed up, but the post-hardcore outfit from Merseyside are chomping at the bit to get going. ‘This is LOATHE, express yourselves!’ shouts frontman Kadeem France, and the throng in front of him respond in earnest. From the first note the pit yawns wide and whirls furiously, whilst the harsh lighting adds impressively to the overall abrasion. It’s a no-nonsense set, played at breakneck speed with the minimum of fuss and very little in the way of crowd interaction, save for Kadeem’s line above, the request to light the band with phone torches for their final song, the introduction of White Hot and the announcement of a new song, which has a breakdown so filthy and heavy that the entire venue shakes, threatening to bring the students living above through the roof and to join the action. Most importantly though, it’s brilliant to see a young, upcoming British band get the opportunity to play venues of this size and LOATHE have seized that chance with both hands and given it a right good kicking.

Rating: 8/10

It’s a well-known local fact that the O2 Academy is not one for pyrotechnics owing to its comparatively low stage ceiling and close proximity to the audience. Tonight, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD crack this supposed Enigma Code with a flurry of spark jets that replace their usual flames and help to turn the evening into one giant party. They have the audience in the palm of their hand from the first strains of Whatever It Takes and by the time Undead goes off like an atom bomb, the celebration is in full swing. Playing eighteen songs across their entire career, there are almost too many highlights to mention – Gravity is exceptional, as is a pummelling rendition of Riot and even Bullet, a song which talks about an individual on the verge of suicide, is sung with a gusto so positive it actually starts to feel a little uncomfortable seeing so many faces recite the words with smiles on their faces.

Cleverly, every member of the band is able to play either bass or guitar, so that between songs, and sometimes even during them, whoever has just sung takes over an instrument to allow for each vocalist to sing unhindered and put as much into their performance as they can, which keeps the momentum high and the energy ramped up. It does begin to wane slightly in the final quarter, and the amount of Autotuning throughout is biblical, but not only does nobody present care about the latter, Hear Me Now is raucous enough to bring thing right back to where they should be, and by the time HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD come out for a two-song encore of Everywhere I Go – easily the best song EMINEM never wrote – and a thunderous Day of the Dead complete with confetti cannons, it’s a shame it’s all over. Give this band a big enough stage production and they could headline Download Festival’s second stage next year with ease, and they’d blow it away to boot.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Normandy Photography here: