COVID-19: The Livestreams You Need To Watch
COVID-19 is impacting every aspect of our lives. As the virus outbreak established a foothold in Europe, it practically crippled the live music industry within days as countless tours and festivals were cancelled or postponed. It was a devastating blow for countless bands and the numerous crews, promoters and so on. However, if a silver lining can be drawn, and one must look to any positive in this unprecedented times, is that more and more bands are looking to alternatives to rectify their cancelled tours; livestreams. Whilst it won’t remedy the sheer euphoria of seeing bands live in the flesh, it’s a wonderful alternative to provide some comfort to us stuck at home in lockdown. So, we have pulled together all the bands who are livestreaming performances and we will ensure that this list is continuously updated.
UPDATE: 7th July 2020
CODE ORANGE – Thursday July 30th
CODE ORANGE will perform a livestream titled Under The Skin on July 30th, via the band’s official Twitch channel. The livestream is conceptually akin to classic MTV Unplugged performances, but with nightmarish digital twists and turns, and will broadcast live from The Theatre Factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2000TREES FESTIVAL – Thursday July 9th – Saturday July 11th
2000trees Festival will put on a virtual festival called 2000screens from Thursday July 9th – Saturday July 11th. The virtual festival will feature live music, interviews, hosting from the Sappenin’ podcast crew, a look back at 2000trees through the ages and an extremely exciting new way to be part of the Trees community – all on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
JINJER – Thursday July 9th @ 21:00 GMT
Ukrainian progressive metal band JINJER will livestream their recent sold out Melbourne, Australia performance this Thursday, July 9 at 21:00 GM. The show was originally filmed on March 5th and will be available to watch exclusively via the Knotfest website. The show has never been released in its entirety and was one of JINJER‘s last performances before the lock down.
VOLBEAT – Wednesday July 1st
Danish rockers VOLBEAT unveiled a livestream oftheir one-hour TV special of their performance at Denmark’s 2016 Tinderbox Festival. The livestream is available to watch via the band’s YouTube channel.
UPDATE: 18th June 2020
EBONIVORY – Saturday June 20th @ 00:00 GMT
Australian progressive metal band EBONIVORY will perform a special livestream, showcasing their latest album The Long Dream I, in its entirety. The livestream will take place at 01:00 BST and will be hosted and available to watch through Metal Injection.
ENSIFERUM – Friday July 10th @ 19:00 GMT
Finnish folk metal band ENSIFERUM will host a special livestream on the release day of their new album, Thalassic. In the livestream, which starts at 19:00 GMT and tickets can be purchased here, the band will be performing a selection of new, classic and rare tracks “live” from Sonic Pump Studio in Helsinki, Finland that will be streamed at www.Keikalla.fi. The band will also be chatting with fans in between the live performance and after the show! For those not able to catch the show when it airs.
KORPIKLAANI – Saturday June 20th @ 16:00 GMT
Finnish folk metal band KORPIKLAANI will premiere their Masters Of Rock 2014 show via YouTube this Saturday (June 20th). The livestream will be the first in a series of upcoming live shows and streams.
METAL FESTIVAL ALLIANCE – Friday August 7th-Sunday August 9th
Bloodstock, Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze and a number of other European festivals have joined forces for a special livestreaming event; the European Metal Festival Alliance. The livestream will take place across the weekend of August 7th-9th and will offer exclusive live performances from a selection of yet-to-be-revealed artists chosen by each festival involved, as well as exclusive new interviews, and more. As a fundraiser for the beleaguered independent festival sector, who don’t have the backing of big corporate money for their survival, viewers will be asked for €6.66 for a ‘full festival pass’ which can be purchased via the event’s website.
PAPA ROACH – Saturday June 20th @ 21:00 GMT
PAPA ROACH will perform a special livestream, featuring the band performing their classic album Infest live and in its entirety, along with exclusive discussions and reflections in a unique studio environment. Tickets for the livestream are available to purchase here.
SEPTICFLESH – Saturday June 27th @ 21:00 GMT
Greek symphonic death metal band SEPTICFLESH will showcase their upcoming new live DVD, Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX, which will be released in July. Tickets for the livestream event can now be purchased here and are valid for 12 hours.
UK TECH-FEST – Thursday July 2nd-Friday July 3rd
UK Tech-Fest will host a virtual livestream in the absence of this year’s festival due to COVID-19. Set to take place through YouTube via Invicta Magazine on July 2nd-July 3rd, an array of bands from the 2020 lineup will perform livestreams across the two days.
UPDATE: 10th June 2020
ENSLAVED – Thursday July 30th, Thursday August 20th, Wednesday September 30th
Norwegian progressive black metallers ENSLAVED will be joining forces with three festivals to present fans with three different livestreams on Thursday July 30th, Thursday August 20th and Wednesday September 30th. The first livestream, on July 30th, will start with a Chronicles Of The Northbound show in cooperation with Roadburn. Fans will be invited by the festival to choose their favourite ENSLAVED songs to create a career spanning set. The second show, on August 20th, will be a Below The Lights set presented by Beyond The Gates Festival and the third and final livestream, on September 30th, will feature the band ending their virtual tour at Summer Breeze Festival with a presentation of their new album in its entirety; Utgard – The Journey Within.
KVELERTAK – Saturday June 20th @ 19:00 GMT
Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK will perform a livestream titled Live From Amper Tone Studio on Saturday June 20th at 19:00 GMT. The set will be once again be broadcast via Vierlive.
MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM & IN FLAMES – Friday June 12th @ 21:00 GMT
To celebrate what would have been the start of one of the most highly anticipated North American tours of the year, showcasing four of the world’s very best metal bands, The Metal Tour Of The Year will be broadcasting a mammoth streaming event this Friday June 12th at 21:00 GMT. The stream will feature full sets from MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES along with an exclusive interview with each band prior to the broadcast of their set. The livestream will be available via the tour’s website.
VREID – Saturday June 13th @ 19:00 GMT
Norwegian black & rollers VREID will perform a livestream titled In The Mountains of Sognametal on Saturday June 13th at 19:00 GMT. The livestream will see the Norwegian black & roll veterans perform a set through their musical history with a live session against a spectacular natural backdrop. The livestream will be available to watch through Season of Mist‘s Facebook page.
UPDATE: 3rd June 2020
FEVER 333 – Wednesday June 3rd @ 22:00 GMT
FEVER 333 will host a full production livestream on June 3rd. The livestream was conceived in solidarity with the communities across the USA protesting for justice, fans will be able to make donations during the livestream with all proceeds benefiting the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Black Lives Matter. The livestream will be available via the band’s website.
UPDATE: 27th May 2020
BURNING WITCHES – Friday May 29th @ 17:00 GMT
Swiss heavy metallers BURNING WITCHES will livestream an acoustic studio jam this Friday (May 29th). The band will be joined by guests Courtney Cox [THE IRON MAIDENS], Laura Ernst [ANNA LUX, ex-GONOREAS] and Noelle Dos Anjos [NUNGARA, ALKOHOLIKA]. The livestream will be available via Nuclear Blast‘s YouTube channel.
Slay At Home Festival – Friday May 29th & Saturday May 30th @ 19:00 GMT
Metal Injection‘s Frank Godla has arranged a virtual festival. Titled Slay At Home Festival, this Friday and Saturday (May 29th & 30th) will feature exclusive never before seen performances from a variety of bands, as well as commissioned music that will debut at the fest, cover song collaborations, special guests, art installations and more. Some of the bands involved in the virtual festival include EMPLOYED TO SERVE, KHEMMIS, TESSERACT, SUICIDE SILENCE, SPIRIT ADRIFT, ALLEAGEON and many many more.
XIBALBA – Thursday May 28th @ 01:00 GMT
XIBALBA will host a special livestream tonight (May 28th) to celebrate the release of their brand new album, Años en Infierno. The live stream is available via Twitch and will include a Q+A with the band, full album stream, and a crushing live performance. The stream will only be available for 24 hours.
UPDATE: 21st May 2020
AHAB – Saturday May 30th @ 20:00 GMT
Doom metallers AHAB will host a livestream next Saturday (May 30th). The stream will showcase the band performing a 60 minute set of their material and donations are encouraged throughout the performance. The livestream will be available via the venue’s, Cafe Central, YouTube channel.
AMORPHIS – Wednesday June 3rd & Thursday June 4th
Finnish melodic death metallers AMORPHIS will play two livestreams in early June (Wednesday June 3rd & Thursday June 4th) to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary as a band. The two separate livestreams will be available through SemiLive.fi, the first of which is aimed for the band’s fans in America, the second to home audiences in Finland, Europe, UK and Russia. Ticket buyers have the opportunity to watch the show again for 48 hours after the stream.
MORK – Saturday May 23rd @ 21:00 GMT
Norwegian black metallers MORK will host a livestream tomorrow (Saturday May 23rd). In the livestream, the band will perform a unique show with a varied setlist, including some deep cuts. The livestream is available to watch via YouTube.
UPDATE: 18th May 2020
CLUTCH – Wednesday May 27th @ 19:30 GMT
CLUTCH will perform a streamed concert titled Live From The Doom Saloon Volume 1 on May 27th. They will be supported remotely by CROWBAR, BLACKTOP MOJO, and SAUL. Pre-registration is available today, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday (May 20th) at 10am 3PM BST. Tickets can be purchased here.
GOJIRA – Wednesday May 20th @ 20:00 GMT
French metal behemoths GOJIRA will livestream their previously unreleased Live At Red Rocks concert this Wednesday (May 20th). The never-before-seen film chronicles the band’s headline performance at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, USA in the midst of their Magma World Tour in 2017. The livestream will be available, for 24 hours only, via the band’s website.
SONATA ARCTICA – Friday May 29th & Saturday May 30th
Finnish power metallers SONATA ARCTICA will be performing an acoustic concert, titled Acoustic Adventures 2020, set to take place via live stream. This will be the only chance to experience the band’s acoustic show in 2020. The band will be playing two shows; the first one aimed for the fans in the Americas, the second one for audiences in Europe and the UK. Access to video will be possible for up to 48 hours after live stream, with a purchased ticket. Both shows will be streamed via semilive.fi.
UPDATE: 14th May 2020
MAJESTICA – Saturday May 16th @ 18:00 GMT
Swedish symphonic power metallers MAJESTICA will host a livestream this Saturday (May 16th) to remedy the cancellation of their Spring tour. The livestream will be available via the band’s Facebook page.
SERTRALINE – Thursday May 14th @ 20:15 GMT
Rising UK tech metallers SERTRALINE will host an online listening party for their brand new EP, Clouded Minds & Silver Lines. The listening party will be hosted via the band’s Facebook page and guests will be able to listen to the EP in full alongside the band, and ask any questions they may have about the five songs on Clouded Minds & Silver Lines and anything else to the band.
TESSERACT – Thursday May 14th @ 20:00 GMT
UK progressive metallers TESSERACT will present Sonder ‘Live In The Lockdown’ session this Thursday (May 14th). Available to watch via the band’s YouTube channel, the event will show the band performing together. The session was filmed in five different locations, across three countries, and was mastered by Acle Kahney at 4D Sounds.
UPDATE: 7th May 2020
Century Media Records’ Isolation Festival – Thursday May 14th @ 18:00 GMT
Century Media Records have partnered with EMP to bring a virtual festival on Thursday May 14th. Available via Century Media‘s YouTube channel, the virtual festival will showcase a range of exclusive sets from the label’s roster; including BAEST, BORKNAGAR, DESERTED FEAR, INSOMNIUM, LUCIFER, VOIVOD and more. For full information on the virtual festival check out our news report here.
HORISONT – Saturday May 16th @ 19:00 GMT
Swedish rockers HORISONT will host a livestream at Gothenburg’s Pustervik on May 16th. The event will be opened by Gothenburg based band SPIDERS starting at 19:00 GMT and HORISONT will play at 20:00 GMT and will answer questions during changeover and after the show. There will be 100 limited shirts available for purchase and donations can be made to the bands as well as the popular venue. The stream will be available via the band’s YouTube channel.
ORANSSI PAZUZU – Friday May 15th @ 22:00 GMT
Finland’s ORANSSI PAZUZU will perform their stunning new album, Mestarin kynsi, on a livestream in response to their cancelled performance at this year’s Roadburn Festival. The livestream will be available via the band’s YouTube channel.
UPDATE: 6th May 2020
Five4Five Fest – Friday May 15th-Saturday May 16th @ 19:00 GMT
New online festival Five4Five Fest will host an online festival from May 15th-16th. ENTER SHIKARI and DON BROCO are the online fest’s two headliners and the rest of the lineup will be announced in due course. The online festival will be streamed via the festival’s Facebook page.
Primordial Radio Lockdown All-Dayer – Saturday May 9th
Primordial Radio have announced a virtual all-dayer on Saturday 9th May raising money for NHS Charities Together. The online event will feature takeover shows, live interviews, acoustic sessions, cooking show, guitar workshop, presenter & member shows and a live quiz. SKINDRED, Phil Demmel, TESSERACT, DEVILSKIN and many more will appear at the virtual festival.
UPDATE: 5th May 2020
AMON AMARTH – Monday May 4th
AMON AMARTH have partnered with Knotfest in their ongoing collection of archived live performances. The stream shows the Swedish vikings celebrate the first anniversary of their 2019 release, Berserker. The performance was shot Live from Oberhausen’s Koenig Pilsner Arena in Germany during the European leg of the Berserker World Tour.
SWALLOW THE SUN – Thursday May 7th @ 18:00 GMT
Finnish death/doom band SWALLOW THE SUN will host an acoustic live gig from Sonic Pump Studios on Thursday May 7th. There will be four members from the band on stage for the performance. Tickets for the livestream can be purchased here and a recording of the stream will be available at a later date.
INSOMNIUM – Friday May 29th @ 17:00 GMT
Finnish melodic death metal band INSOMNIUM will host a livestream on Friday May 29th. The band will perform 2016’s Winter’s Gate, a selection of songs from their other albums and will be available for a backstage chat with the fans after the show. Tickets for the livestream are available to be purchased here.
UPDATE: 29th April 2020
ALESTORM – Friday May 1st @ 20:00 GMT
Pirate metallers ALESTORM will undergo a listening party for their upcoming album, Curse of the Crystal Coconut, and will do a Q+A. The stream will be available via Napalm Records‘ YouTube channel.
BEARTOOTH – Thursday April 30th – Thursday May 21st @ 18:00 GMT
BEARTOOTH have launched Re-Live at Home, a weekly web series where the band will show archived live shows. The liveshow episodes are as follows: 4/30: Sick of Me – Live in Oberhausen, 5/7: Manipulation – Live in Oberhausen, 5/14: The Lines – Live In London, 5/21: Disease – Live In London. The streams will be available via the band’s YouTube channel.
EVIL INVADERS – Saturday May 2nd @ 23:00 GMT
Thrash metal squad EVIL INVADERS will livestream their Surge Of Insanity: Live In Antwerp 2018 DVD via their Facebook page.
GRAVE DIGGER – Friday May 1st @ 22:00 GMT
Heavy metal band GRAVE DIGGER will do a Scotch Whiskey livestream via their official Facebook page.
SEPULTURA – Every Wednesday @ 19:00 GMT
Brazilian heavy metal legends SEPULTURA have announced a weekly livestream; titled SepulQuarta. Every Wednesday, the band will give insight into the band’s colourful history, do a Q&A session and perform a new track live. Speaking of the livestream, guitarist Andreas Kisser says, “SepulQuarta was born out of the necessity to express ourselves in a different way since we’re all facing a new situation. We came up with this idea still influenced by the concept of our recent album Quadra, using geometry, numerology and numbers. Wednesday, which is the fourth day of the week, was chosen for the event.”
UPDATE: 28th April 2020
WITHIN TEMPTATION – Thursday April 30th @ 18:30 GMT
WITHIN TEMPTATION will stream their first arena show from 2008 with an orchestra on social media this Thursday (April 30th). The band bundled their strength with the Metropole Orchestra (led by Jules Buckley) and a 20-voice classical choir. The band originally performed the spectacular show on February 7th 2008 to 10,000 fans, surprising them with appearances by special guests Mina Caputo [LIFE OF AGONY], Anneke van Giersbergen [THE GATHERING] and George Oosthoek [ORPHANAGE] while covering every hit from their discography up to 2008. The livestream will be available via the band’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitch channels.
UPDATE: 26th April 2020
KATATONIA – Saturday May 9th @ 18:00 GMT
As the current COVID-19 virus has meant that many of festivals and shows KATATONIA were due to play over the summer have been forced to be postponed, the band, not wanting to disappoint their fans worldwide have confirmed they will perform a live streamed show on Saturday May 9th from Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl. The livestream will include songs from the band’s brand new album City Burials. Tickets for the livestream can be purchased here.
UPDATE: 22nd April 2020
TRIVIUM – Friday April 24th – Thursday April 30th
Metal giants TRIVIUM are undertaking a series of livestreams to celebrate the release of their brand new album, What The Dead Men Say. On Friday April 24th Matt Heafy will do a full album playthrough on his massively popular Twitch channel at 3pm ET/8pm BST. On Saturday April 25th, the band’s main stage performance at the UK’s Download Festival last year will stream on Knotfest.com at 3pm ET/8pm BST. Band members will be answering fan questions and chatting during that time.
On Monday April 27th the band will set up a virtual in-store, which they will livestream at 3pm ET/8pm BST at www.trivium.org. Fans can pre-order a CD copy of What The Dead Men Say and have it personalised by the band, who will be signing copies of the album live during the virtual event.
On Wednesday April 29th at 3pm ET/8pm BST, TRIVIUM and producer Josh Wilbur will engage in a Q&A session that will broadcast on the band’s Facebook and YouTube. Lastly, on Thursday April 30th at 3pm ET/8pm BST, the band’s 2018 headline show at the O2 Academy Brixton in London, England will broadcast on the band’s YouTube channel. The band will be chatting with fans in the comments.
UPDATE: 21st April 2020
BEHEMOTH – Friday April 17th
BEHEMOTH have partnered with Knotfest to stream their Messe Noire: Live Satanist show, taken from a performance in Warsaw, Poland on October 8th, 2016.
DEVIN TOWNSEND – Saturday April 18th, Saturday April 25th @ 19:00 GMT & Saturday May 2nd @ 19:00 GMT
Canadian legend DEVIN TOWNSEND has planned three livestreams. The livestreams, running for 50 minutes each and will feature different setlists, and each concert’s proceeds will be a complete donation to a specific organisation. The first one will see proceeds go to Vancouver’s General Hospital. The following Saturday will be for the UK’s National Health Service, the one after will be for one of the hotspot hospitals in New York. The top five donors for each show will receive signed merch as well as some products from a number of companies such as; Fishman Music, Darkglass Electronics, Fractal Audio, Jim Dunlop Guitar Products and Toontrack. Everyone who watches (regardless of donations) will get the also audio version of the show emailed to them. The first livestream (April 18th) is available to watch back via YouTube and the remaining two livestreams have tickets available and can be purchased here.
FIGHT THE FIGHT – Tuesday April 21st @ 18:00 GMT
Norwegian alt-metal quartet FIGHT THE FIGHT will stream their first ever livestream gig tonight (April 21st). The band will perform songs from their forthcoming album Deliverance and all proceeds will be donated to Redd Barna and Redd Barna i Moria (Norwegian Save The Child). The livestream will be available via the band’s Facebook page.
MAYHEM – Wednesday April 22nd @ 20:00 GMT
Norwegian black metal legends MAYHEM will stream their performance at Brutal Assault in 2017 via their YouTube channel. The band are currently looking into and planning a livestream. This will happen as soon as the borders opens and they can get the rest of the band members to Norway.
UPDATE: 17th April 2020
DISBELIEF – Saturday April 18th @ 18:00 GMT
German death metal band DISBELIEF will perform a livestreamed performance this Saturday (April 18th) via YouTube. The band will perform their upcoming new album, The Ground Collapses, and a best of set in the livestream.
Impericon Festival – Saturday April 18th
Impericon Festival, Europe’s biggest celebration of metalcore, deathcore and hardcore will host a virtual festival via their YouTube channel. The virtual festival will feature recordings from as far back as 2012 and playlists from fan favourites such as PARKWAY DRIVE, THE GHOST INSIDE, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, WHILE SHE SLEEPS and more.
PINK FLOYD – Friday April 17th @ 16:00 GMT
PINK FLOYD will livestream newly a restored and re-edited version of Pulse, originally filmed in October 1994 at Earls Court, London. The livestream will be available to watch via the band’s official YouTube channel.
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Saturday April 18th @ 18:00 GMT
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA will be performing a livestreamed performance at The Tivoli in Sweden. The livestream will be available via the band‘s and the venue‘s social media pages. Entrance is free but donations encouraged and appreciated. Speaking of the stream, the band says, “we are very proud to announce that we will be playing a live streamed show at the classic venue The Tivoli, in Helsingborg, Sweden on Saturday the 18th of April. For some of us that place is somewhat of a stomping ground and today one of the few real rock clubs that are still around in Sweden. That is something we want to support. Make sure you tune in on Saturday the 18th, it’s gonna be a night to remember. The Aeromantic Experience is alive and well.”
VENOM PRISON – Saturday April 18th @ 20:00 GMT
British death metallers VENOM PRISON will livestream their stunning performance at last year’s Damnation Festival in its entirety via their YouTube channel.
WINTERFYLLETH – Friday April 17th @ 19:45 GMT
British black metal veterans WINTERFYLLETH will livestream their performance at Bloodstock Festival, The Siege Of Mercia: Live At Bloodstock Festival 2017, via their official YouTube channel.
UPDATE: 14th April 2020
ABYSMAL DAWN – Tuesday April 14th @ 6pm GMT
ABYSMAL DAWN will be hosting a worldwide virtual listening party for their new album, Phylogenesis. All four members of the band will be present for a live Q&A during the stream. Speaking of the stream, the band says, “unfortunately, our listening parties in NYC and Los Angeles had to be cancelled for obvious and understandable reasons. To try and make up for it, we’ll be hosting a live stream of our new album and virtual Q&A with the band on Tuesday. So if you’re going a little stir crazy, let’s listen to some metal and have a bit of fun.”
Download Festival – Friday June 12th – Sunday June 14th 2020
After Download Festival announced that this year’s festival would not be going ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers have announced a three day virtual festival. The virtual festival will feature a mix of music, special interviews, unseen performances, exclusive footage, interactive content and loads more. The shows will be broadcast across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday via the festival’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels – recreating the iconic festival.
OUTER HEAVEN – Friday April 10th 2020
Pennsylvania death metal legion OUTER HEAVEN have livestreamed their recent show from Saint Vitus Bar in February of this year. Speaking of the livestream, frontman Austin Haines says, “we are all very psyched that Relapse approached us with the idea to release this live set digitally on all streaming platforms. We are in troubling times and I hope that, like myself, music has been a huge force for positivity and sanity in all of this. This show in particular was the very first with our new bass player Derrick, and we feel we have truly reached new heights in terms of our live show because of him and his extreme playing abilities. This live recording is a new way to experience our live presence for those who may have never had a chance to see us play live. It also features artwork that is an incredible accompaniment to the album art of the Realms LP. We hope you all enjoy it!”
SLIPKNOT – Friday April 10th 2020
As part of Knotfest‘s ongoing livestreams of past performances (MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD are listed below), heavy metal giants SLIPKNOT have streamed their phenomenal headlining performance at last year’s Download Festival.
UPDATE: 6th April 2020
DOODSWENS – Monday April 6th 2020 @ 7pm GMT
Dutch black metal duo DOODSWENS will be performing a livestream at De Effenaar in Eindhoven on Monday April 6th at 7pm GMT. The livestream, the latest entry in the venue’s The Isolation Sessions, will be available to watch via the venue’s official Facebook event.
HOLDING ABSENCE – Friday April 3rd 2020
On Friday April 3rd, HOLDING ABSENCE premiered a livestream of their set at The Underworld in London, recorded last March. The band also participated in a live Q+A during the livestream.
KVELERTAK – Friday April 10th 2020 @ 7pm GMT.
Titled Live From Your Living Room, on Friday April 10th, acclaimed Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK will perform a livestream due to their European tour being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there will be an option for fans to chat live to each other and the band, with a special event t-shirt available to order plus merch bundles from the 2020 tour which was halted early due to the pandemic. Access (including ticket admission) is available here.
SMALL POND RECORDS – Every Friday and Saturday Throughout April @ 8pm GMT.
Small Pond Records have announced the Lockdown Sessions Series – a season of live streamed online gigs from their record label roster; including performances from bands on their roster like INWARDS, WILD CAT STRIKE, Natalie Evans, BONNIESONGS, CLT DRP, Brian Campeau and more. The livestreams will be available via the label’s YouTube and Instagram channels.
UPDATE: 3rd April 2020
EKTOMORF – Sunday April 5th 2020 @ 17:00 GMT
Hungarian thrash metal band EKTOMORF will be livestreaming a show on April 5th 2020, via their Facebook page. Guitarist/vocalist Zoltán ‘Zoli’ Farkas says, “we are very proud to be part of the #NapalmSofaSeries! Our upcoming setlist is based on wishes from our fans and we are happy to present songs we haven’t played for a long time. Even though live shows are our main source of income and some gigs have already been cancelled or postponed, we decided to do a live stream concert without asking our fans for donations to help us through this rough times. This special show is a big “thank you” to our fans for their support over the past years.”
MEGADETH – Saturday April 3rd 2020 @ 19:00 GMT
Thrash metal titans MEGADETH have partnered with Knotfest (in accordance to their weekly pledge of airing livestreams of bands from their community) to livestream their set from Spain’s Resurrection Festival in 2018. The livestream will feature a video introduction from Dave Mustaine and a Q&A live chat with Dave Ellefson throughout the performance. MEGADETH will also premiere two exclusive t-shirt designs during the stream, each purchase will come with a free MEGADETH face mask. A percentage of income from the sale of this merch will be donated to COVID-19 related charities.
SAMAEL – Wednesday April 1st 2020
Swiss extreme metallers SAMAEL took to YouTube on April 1st 2020 showcasing a livestream of their performance at Hellfest in 2015. The set features the band performing 1994’s Ceremony of Opposites in its entirety.
YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS – Saturday March 28th 2020
Folk/pirate metallers YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS took to livestreaming a virtual release party for their latest album, Hostis Humani Generis. Prior to the virtual release party, the band performed two acoustic songs as part of Napalm Records‘ ongoing #NapalmSofaSeries.
UPDATE: 2nd April 2020
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Thursday April 2nd 2020 @ 19:00 GMT
The innovative American progressive metallers, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, have taken to livestreaming their live DVD; Coma Ecliptic: Live! The concert features the band performing Coma Ecliptic in its entirety, was filmed live on location October 4th, 2017 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego, CA.
INSOMNIUM & OMNIUM GATHERUM – Friday April 10th 2020 @ 16:00 GMT
After their co-headlining North American tour was cancelled as the result of the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the two Finnish melodic death metal juggernauts have announced a co-headlining livestream on April 10th! The livestream will be available via East Coast Events and tickets for the livestream, priced at €8.90, are available here.
Speaking on behalf of both camps, INSOMNIUM guitarist Markus Vanhala says, “if someone had asked me to do a live stream with ticket sales two weeks ago, my answer would’ve been hell no. But the world changes, apparently really fast when you’re in quarantine. INSOMNIUM and OMNIUM GATHERUM double trouble North American tour went pretty bad with the cancellation and the country (=WORLD!) shutting down right after we arrived at the airport to New York City… So this is what we can offer back for now, before this tour can be rescheduled sometime next year, hopefully. After staring two weeks to the wall inside four walls at home quarantine, I have discovered a hellish urge to go back on stage and play. Even if it would be an empty hall and pose for the camera eyes only, but to play with my booyas as live in concert as we can at the moment! With this stream production we try to help cultural field and concert promoting, our own crew, local entertainment companies and a bit also, our poor ourselves, as cancellation of the gigs and tours destroyed our income. Thanks for the huge support to our beloved fans!”
THE VINTAGE CARAVAN – Friday April 3rd 2020 @ 14:00 & 19:00 GMT
Vintage Icelandic rockers THE VINTAGE CARAVAN have announced a special livestream on April 3rd 2020, via Facebook. At 16:00 CET (14:00 GMT) the band will take to Facebook Live for a special announcement then they will perform a full set at 21:00 CET (19:00 GMT).
UPDATE: 1st April 2020
BETH HART – Friday March 27th 2020
After the last show on her European tour was cancelled as a result of the spread of COVID-19, Beth Hart has livestreamed a concert from the L’Olympia in Paris via the ARTE YouTube channel.
DEATH – Tuesday March 31st 2020
As live touring has completely ceased to function, Relapse Records have announced that they have joined forces with the DEATH camp to launch a series of previously unreleased, career-spanning live concerts that touch upon all eras and lineups of the legendary band. Every other week they will uploading a new DEATH concert. The first, DEATH: Non Analog – On Stage Series – Montreal ’95, is available now.
UPDATE: 27th March 2020
LAMB OF GOD – Friday March 27th 2020 @ 19:00 GMT
Virginia’s finest have partnered with Knotfest and will be livestreaming their performance at last year’s Resurrection Festival. During the broadcast, guitarist Mark Morton will chat live to fans in the chatroom.
Speaking about the livestream, the band says, “our European tour with KREATOR was scheduled to start tomorrow. While we can’t make it over for the tour, we’ve partnered with Knotfest to premiere our full set from Resurrection Fest 2019, on March 27th at 12pm PDT / 3pm EDT / 7pm GMT at knotfest.com. Mark Morton will be hanging out in the chatroom during the performance watching along and answering questions.”
PARKWAY DRIVE – Saturday April 4th 2020 @ 22:00 GMT
The Australian metal giants will be livestreaming their Viva The Underdogs documentary via their official YouTube channel. The documentary features over a decade of behind the scenes personal footage, coupled with unprecedented access to the band’s most explosive live tours and world’s biggest music festivals.
SNOW BURIAL – Thursday March 26th 2020
Ben from Chicago-based post-metal trio took to his basement to livestream a solo performance. In the livestream, he performed reimagined and reconstructed songs from the band’s latest studio album, Ostrava, and accepted donations that will go directly to The Greater Chicago Food Depositary.
UPDATE: 25th March 2020
ENSLAVED – Wednesday April 1st 2020
The Norwegian giants have announced they will headline the Verftet Online Music Festival in USF, Bergen, on April 1st. The performance will be livestreamed via YouTube.
Speaking about the livestream, the band says, “when the old Bergen ring-fox Mikal Telle asked us to join his and local venue USF‘s fantastic initiative that is this festival, we pretty much said ‘yes and thanks for asking!’ before he could finish the sentence. Of course we are itching to play now that the world of live music is on halt, but we also saw a chance to get our live music out there to all the fantastic fans out there – the studio recordings is of course a pillar in what ENSLAVED is, but without the other pillar of playing high-energy shows and creating musical magick together with our magnificent audience – things get out of balance. Now we will have a chance to restore that balance for a virtual time with all of you – and time is time no matter what matter it moves through, right? See you in the ether!”
KADAVAR – Saturday March 21st 2020
After the band announced that their planned European tour dates had been cancelled as the result of the spread of Coronavirus, the band took to Facebook and performed a livestreamed concert. The livestream is also available via YouTube.
MISþYRMING – Saturday March 21st 2020
After their planned show in Tallinn, Estonia was cancelled as the result of COVID-19, the Icelandic black metal horde have released a livestream of the planned concert in an underground venue.
BOWLING FOR SOUP – Tuesday March 24th @ 7pm & 1am GMT & Thursday March 26th @ 7pm & 1am GMT
BOWLING FOR SOUP‘s Jaret Reddick will perform four sets via StageIt (tickets are available here and are ‘pay what you can afford). The two livestreams on Tuesday March 24th will focus on the band’s breakthrough album, Drunk Enough To Dance, and the two livestreams on Thursday March 26th will focus on songs from A Hangover You Don’t Deserve.
CODE ORANGE – Thursday March 19th 2020
As CODE ORANGE unleashed Underneath, the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the cancellation of their album release show. The band took to an empty stage on March 19th and set the benchmark for what can be achieved with livestreaming to remedy the cancellation of live performances and mass gatherings. Sit down, take note, and bask in the sheer brilliance of CODE ORANGE.
CRO-MAGS – Friday March 20th 2020
On Friday, March 13th, the BODY COUNT/CRO-MAGS show that was scheduled at Webster Hall in NYC was postponed, leading CRO-MAGS founder/bassist/vocalist Harley Flanagan and crew (guitarists Rocky George and Joseph Affe, Garry “Gman” Sullivan on drums) to hit SIR Studios on Sunday, March 15th. The band took their set online, now known as The Quarantine Show.
DROPKICK MURPHYS – Tuesday March 17th 2020
Every year for St. Patrick’s Day, American Celtic punks DROPKICK MURPHYS perform an annual show to bask in the celebrations, but as expected, 2020’s show was cancelled as the result of the Coronavirus pandemic. So, the band livestreamed the show instead!
FRIENDSHIP x KUROKUMA – Wednesday March 25th @ 10pm GMT
Due to the cancellation of FRIENDSHIP and KUROKUMA‘s UK tour after the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the two bands will be hosting a very special streamed performance this Wednesday March 25th at 22:00 GMT. The time has been decided as a reasonable meeting point to view the stream from different time zones. The cancellation of the tour has lead to both bands losing approximately over £4000 in flight cancellations and lost revenue. A GoFundMe donation link has been set up to help the bands recoup their losses and hopefully reschedule the tour at a later date.
HUNTSMEN – Saturday March 21st 2020
Following the cancellation of their scheduled tour dates, Chicago’s HUNTSMEN streamed a live performance at Treehouse Studios where they performed selections from Mandala of Fear, with Bruce Lamont as their special guest.
HORROR DANCE SQUAD – Saturday March 28th 2020 @ 8pm GMT
Estonian six-piece HORROR DANCE SQUAD will perform a live show on YouTube for fans around the world on March 28th. Details of the livestream can be found via the band’s official Facebook event.
JAMIE LENMAN – Wednesday March 31st 2020 @ 7pm GMT
Jamie Lenman will be broadcasting live on Wednesday March 31st on his Facebook page, as a TRL request show for anyone that wants to join him. He will take requests, perform stripped down versions of songs, do a Q and A, talk openly about his new material and much more.
Speaking about the livestream, he says, “I’d been thinking for a while about doing a TRL-style show where people just ask for whatever they want, and doing it as a live stream while we’re all boxed in seems like the perfect solution. I’m just gonna grab my guitar and keep playing till someone makes a request, and then I’ll give that my best shot, whatever it is. I can’t brush up on every song ever written or even all of my own tunes, so if it’s something particularly obscure it might be a fairly ragged rendition, but hopefully that’s part of the fun. You can ask questions, you can hurl abuse, we’ll have a right old time. I think the artistic community is already throwing out some really imaginative workarounds to the situation despite zero support from their government, at least in the UK, so at the same time as being bummed out about the general state of play, I’m quietly excited to see what people come up with.”
METALLICA – Monday March 23rd 2020
Arguably the biggest heavy metal band on the planet, METALLICA have announced that every Monday, titled #MetallicaMondays, they will full concert stream via their YouTube channel. The first livestream, the band’s performance at Slane Castle from June 8th last year is available now.
TRIVIUM – Dates TBA
The heavy metal giants will be livestreaming 90 archived live sets over the coming weeks. Exact dates will be announced as of when we hear it. The livestreams will be available via the TRIVIUM YouTube channel.
Keep updated to Distorted Sound as we continue to update this article with more bands performing livestreams in the coming weeks!
