LIVE REVIEW: Fozzy @ O2 Academy Islington, London

In a recent feature with us, Chris Jericho stated FOZZY were coming to the UK with the guarantee that the crowd has a “great fucking time when they come see us”. Was there a modicum of truth to the bold statement? We went along to the final night of the Save The World UK tour to find out for ourselves.

By the time SCARLET REBELS took to the stage, Islington’s O2 Academy was almost full to capacity. With a crowd eager to get the party started, the Welsh five-piece wasted little time in doing just that. The Llanelli crew breezed through the rock n’ roll ripper I’m Alive. Wayne Doyle’s vocals were effortless over his and Josh Townshend’s swagger on the rhythm guitars. Take You Home saw lead guitarist Chris Jones dictate the enthusiastic head bobs and hip sways with many already pulling their Spotify page to hit the follow button.

These Days slowed the energy slightly with its BON JOVI mimicking riffs but kept the crowd warm and hooked. The anthem of the evening, with its themes of hanging on during harsh times, may have hit a little close to home for those looking for escapism but it provided some much needed release for many. “These days it gets harder to breathe” sailed straight for the jugular of the unsuspecting many. Save Me and Let Me In quickly ramped up the energy again with the former’s hooky chorus and the latter’s infectious beat.

What came as a surprise to us was the choice in closing number. Heal can only be described as a ballad perhaps better suited for a mid-set performance. Heal bloomed into a hard hitting anthem for helping someone you love through their most difficult periods. Doyle’s vocal performance was stellar and the highlight of this band’s set. It may not have been the typical bang many bands tend to go out on but it provided a talking point for many across the board.

Rating: 7/10

When it comes to putting a tour package together, it would make sense for each band’s sound to compliment each other. Give people a taste of what’s to come for the main event. This makes ESCAPE THE FATE an interesting choice. Were this a tour during FOZZY’s ‘heavier’ All That Remains (2005) or Chasing The Grail (2010) eras, the Las Vegas brood may have been a better fit. Though curiosity reigned supreme.

Being greeted by five men donning all black, some with face paint, and post-hardcore vocals had many wondering if they’d walked into the right venue. Though Craig Mabbitt’s stage presence couldn’t be denied. Blasting through Gorgeous Nightmare and Issues, Mabbit commanded the stage and the attention of the crowd with thunderous screams and attempting to be everywhere at once. Human dynamo anyone? Though The Flood had all eyes on guitarist Matti Hoffman, presenting as the silent model type but letting the guitar do all the screaming he needed to.

Recent single Lightning Strike provided more of the same. A thick wall of heavy metalcore style riffs with larynx lacerating screams. While fans of the band lapped up every moment they could, not everyone was entirely enamoured. We were given a spectacle, absolutely, but we felt it was wasted on this bill. A band a little too outside the scope of the evening, but we’re not about to slate them for that. It has to be noted ESCAPE THE FATE’s fans are tremendously loyal. Before launching into Something, Mabbit dedicated the tune to a pair of fans who had seen the band a hundred times at that point.

Many would associate ESCAPE THE FATE with a time in our lives where we were chock full of teenage angst and everything was unfair. Revisiting those times and questionable relationships with the eviscerating Ashley and rage filled Broken Heart did wonders for the nostalgia factor. The band ran like a well oiled machine and there was nothing of fault. Thomas Bell diving into the crowd while still playing guitar slinger during closing One For The Money was definitely a moment you had to be there for. However as the house lights came up and the queue for the bar grew, we couldn’t shake the feeling of being jarred and having a feeling of slight injustice on behalf of ESCAPE THE FATE.

Rating: 6/10

Wherever FOZZY are, wrestling fans are never far behind. While the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star has many accolades over an illustrious wrestling career, it is amiss some members of the crowd would overlook FOZZY’s achievements… as long as they played Judas at the end of the night. Though Chris Jericho’s worlds blended together once more as this tour was to be the first time Jericho had sung since suffering a bruised larynx at an AEW event.

To that end, and having reached the final night of the tour, Sane got off to a scratchy start for Jericho. Though after taking a couple of lines to settle, the vocalist soon regained control. We have to admit however it was slightly difficult to hear the vocals over the loud screaming of the crowd. The grind of Rich Ward’s guitar prompted the first of many mosh pits during the heavier One Crazed Anarchist. Ward would prove to be a talking point of FOZZY’s set, but more on that in a moment. The talking point for the time being was FOZZY’s newest recruit Grant Brooks on drums. Having replaced Frank Fontsere earlier this year, Brooks took to the kit like a duck to water, twirling the sticks between each beat and breakdown of Nowhere To Run and Do You Wanna Start A War without breaking a sweat.

When it comes to a band which has been active for over 20 years, as FOZZY has, certain challenges rear their heads. FOZZY have eight studio albums under their belt but also wrestle with the fact their sound has changed somewhat dramatically since the heavy metal days of 2000’s Happenstance. Cuts such as Let The Madness Begin gave way to lighter Purifier and I Still Burn replaced Inside My Head. While Martyr No More did have a well deserved outing, it became clear Jericho’s voice had changed with age as the track escaped him at various points. A reluctant retirement perhaps but an understandable one. Perhaps the most dramatic setlist change came with Relax. Swapping ABBA’s SOS with the FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD rager was left-field however a far better fit for the evening as the crowd threw metal pretentiousness to the wind and indulged in a heavy rendition of an 80s classic. Though we are still of the opinion POWERMAN 5000 holds the title for best cover.

Earlier, we mentioned guitar aficionado Rich Ward. Guitar slinger extraordinaire for STUCK MOJO and the nicest guy in metal, Ward simply commands attention. Deserves it also. Blasting through the electric The Vulture Club where he pulled double duty with a scathing vocal delivery in the bridge after bouncing to and fro the stage like a jack in the box on methamphetamine proved why The Duke is one of metal’s best kept secrets. Though his soulful delivery on hit Enemy still hit the spot after all this time, rendering the crowd silent as he took the mantle.

Could we talk about FOZZY without mentioning Judas? It would be a disservice if we did. However, the crowd was so loud and rambunctious in their own singing of the track, we simply couldn’t hear the band. When a crowd belts a song that loud, they’re on to a winner. Had the night ended there, no one would have complained. Though one last blast of a cover song had to surface – FOZZY did start as a cover band after all. Did we need to end on AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap after FOZZY played their biggest track to date? No, but it wasn’t an entirely bad decision as the crowd drank in every second and descended into an all out dance hall.

We revisited Jericho’s statement as we left the venue. Did the band deliver what they promised or was this a rendition of an AEW promo? While there were some hiccups and misplaced energies throughout the night, this was definitely an escape from the mundane. Judging by the smiles and screams of elation which surrounded us as we wandered into the night, the world lived to die another day.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Karolina Janikunaite here: 

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