LIVE REVIEW: Bad Omens @ The Garage, Glasgow
Quite possibly the hottest metalcore band on the planet at the minute, BAD OMENS have finally arrived here tonight in Glasgow for their first Scottish show in several years and when it comes to levelling up – arguably nobody has made a bigger leap than the Los Angeles foursome in recent years.
Upgraded venue after upgraded venue, The Garage tonight is not only over double the capacity of their original announcement but positively packed to the rafters with sweat dripping down the walls before openers OXYMORRONS arrive onstage and the atmosphere can only be described as feverish.
Leading from the front, the energetic four piece hailing from Queens, New York burst into action from the first beat of super-hit Think Big, and glancing around there isn’t a face not smiling on either side of the barrier. To summarise their all-to-brief set tonight – featuring hit after hit of pulse-racing, pure joyful moments as a breath of fresh air and ray of sunshine cutting through what can at times feel like a sonically similar landscape, just somehow doesn’t feel like enough. These guys have sheer starpower emanating from them, and truly feel like a band who should already be playing stages much more grandiose than where we’re currently housed this evening, but our guess is that it won’t be very long until this dream becomes a reality.
Rating: 10/10
Following on from an explosive opening act, Germany’s own GHØSTKID were up next – seemingly performing to an already familiar crowd, who made their voices heard as the lights were dimmed. Although only forming in 2020, GHØSTKID have the notability of being fronted by Sebastien ‘Sushi’ Biesler (once of ELECTRIC CALLBOY fame), only this time, Sushi brings with him far more sonic brutality in the form of heavy breakdowns, much to the love of the already hooked crowd. This may have been their first ever Glasgow show, but with an energetic performance GHØSTKID showed us all why they deserved to be on The Garage stage that night. Concluding their set with SUPERNØVA, GHØSTKID certainly left an impression on everyone in attendance.
Rating: 7/10
Now for the tour de force of the night, one of the most talked about Glasgow shows in recent history – one that was so heavily anticipated you could feel the energy exuding from the packed Garage crowd before the doors even opened. Originally slated to take place at The Cathouse in Glasgow before being somewhat coyly upgraded to The Garage, BAD OMENS could have sold out a venue twice its size without even breaking a sweat. Needless to say, this may be the last time we see Virginia quartet in a club venue. The roar of the crowd when the lights went out and frontman Noah Sebastian made his way on stage could have been heard in orbit.
Without any time to waste, they went straight into CONCRETE JUNGLE, and the pumped-up Glasgow crowd made sure they were heard from the get-go, before being hit in the face with the blistering ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE – followed by NOWHERE TO GO. Now if you think Noah’s voice is amazing on record, you will likely be just as blown away as we were when we heard how incredibly it holds up live, making every note count as if it were second nature to him. BAD OMENS would then take us on a trip back to 2016 with Glass Houses, and to say security had their hands full with crowd surfers for this one would be a severe understatement.
Sound wise, the show was technically sufficient throughout the set. But it is by far the visual performance that made BAD OMENS‘ night in Glasgow worth the hype. With lighting akin to that of a stadium level band and an energy to match it, the band filled their set with everything a BAD OMENS fan could’ve hoped for, and enough to turn the sceptics into devotees. Following on from fan-favourite Like A Villain, TikTok viral sensation Just Pretend closed out the primary set, with the fans in attendance almost drowning out the music with their singing. Of course, however, nobody was ready to go home, upon the crowd’s melody of ‘one more song’ Noah re-entered the stage to engage everyone in his CONCRETE JUNGLE chant, something that must be experienced live to truly understand its breath-taking nature.
Bringing their show to a grand finale with What Do You Want Me From Me?, BAD OMENS rolled into Glasgow with everything to lose and left the night with everything to gain. The applause from the crowd could have easily been mistaken for that of an arena, this was without a doubt a special night for everyone in the building and one that we wish everyone had the chance to experience for the first time. Next time BAD OMENS come to your town, do yourself a favour and go see them – you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 10/10
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