LIVE REVIEW: Electric Callboy @ O2 Academy, Bristol
First emerging in 2012 as a fun but derivative crabcore band styled after the likes of ASKING ALEXANDRIA, ELECTRIC CALLBOY have evolved their sound over the last decade, leaning heavier into their techno influences. Now, more than a decade later, the six-piece have created a truly unique fusion of metalcore and electronic dance music that never fails to set the dancefloor ablaze.
But before the Tekkno Train can roll through Bristol’s O2 Academy, it is the turn of British progressive metalcore outfit MONUMENTS to get the energy levels up. Starting with A.W.O.L., the opener from their 2018 album Phronesis, the four-piece get the crowd moving with their djent-infused jams. Frontman Andy Cizek, who joined the band for their 2022 album In Stasis, is an immense talent, doling out guttural low screams and soaring clean choruses with barely a pause between. The epic climax of Cardinal Red is no doubt the highlight of this excellent opening set.
Rating: 9/10
Next up is High Wycombe metallers AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS. While their music isn’t as heavy as MONUMENTS, they certainly match their intensity, with vocalist Charlie Rolfe showing real star power with her commanding stage presence and impressively diverse vocal performance. The support act clearly have a fair few fans in attendance, as a noticeable portion of attendees sing back the lyrics with considerable passion. On The Inside is an excellent closer, promising great things for the band’s headline tour at the start of next year.
Rating: 9/10
Sold out months in advance, the gig is packed and ready to party by the time tonight’s headliners take to the stage. Attendees lucky enough to have seen ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s Download Festival set know what to expect here, as a fake safety procedure introduces the German troupe to the stage. What becomes clear straight away is that the scale of production here far exceeds what we have come to expect from bands of this caliber. A light show complete with lasers accompanies Tekkno Train, as the audience bounces in unison to its techno beats and thunderous breakdowns.
MC Thunder II (Dancing Like A Ninja) invites the ninjas to the pit before Spaceman takes them into the stratosphere with its German rapping and absurdly catchy chorus. ELECTRIC CALLBOY then pay homage to their Eurodance influences with their brilliant cover of Everytime We Touch, which naturally garners the biggest sing-along of the night.
The euphoric banger Arrow Of Love leads into an undeniably hype drum solo, that impressively does not kill the momentum of the set, as percussion solos can sometimes do. The hyperactive anthem Hypa Hypa sees the crowd erupt, singing along to the iconic synth melody that carries the song. The audience gets a brief reprieve from moshing and raving with a medley of Let It Go from Frozen and I Want It That Way by the BACKSTREET BOYS.
Very few bands could pull off such a cheesy interlude but ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s infectiously unserious energy makes it work. Another highlight of the set is Fuckboi, which sees AS EVERYTHING UNFOLD‘s Charlie Rolfe join the sextet onstage to perform the female vocals featured on the track.
MC Thunder closes out the first part of the set, as the mosh pit erupts into pure chaos. If it were to end there, it would be a great set, but ELECTRIC CALLBOY aren’t done yet. The troupe return to the stage for a three-song encore, starting with the Pump It and followed up with Mindreader. It wouldn’t be an ELECTRIC CALLBOY set without a spirited rendition of We Got The Moves, that sees the band take to the stage complete with the iconic wigs and dance moves from the viral music video that took the internet by storm in 2021. The Bristol crowd expels every last bit of energy they have, bringing the perfect end to a perfect night of music.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Serena Hill Photography here:
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