Bullet For My Valentine promised they would be back to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of “The Poison” at the end of their blistering 2023 Good Things Festival set, and true to their word here they are. This time Bullet For My Valentine returned, armed with a line-up that crossed the globe to share in this milestone. On this leg of “The Poison” celebration across Australia and Asia they have While She Sleeps and The Devil Wears Prada along for the ride, and what a ride it was. After tonight there will be sore necks, bruised bodies and smiles that will last for days.
While She Sleeps are a new discovery for me. Formed in 2006 in Sheffield UK, this metalcore band have been a hidden gem until tonight. I had heard the name, new the genre and in all honesty metalcore can become a bit mundane and one band can blend into another quite easily on record. Live I find these bands tend to shine and offer their own personality. While She Sleeps is one of those bands.
Frontman Lawrence Taylor is a ball of energy with an engagement and magnetic pull that is commanding. The mix of clean and dirty vocals really drives the melodic structure of their songs, while brining enough heaviness to stir the crowd into a circle pit within moments.
After kicking John Cain Arena’s ass for three songs Taylor addresses the crowd with “We are from Sheffield, England and after thirty-five hours to your country thank you for making it all worthwhile. Australia we are not here to f*ck spiders” as they tore into ‘Rainbows’. Seeing a band live for the first time for me is where I take notice of the little things, the performance, how well the band gel together, how they engage with me at their live introduction to my world.
Sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. By this the midpoint of their set I felt engaged, they ticked everything I look for in a band; presence, connection, energy and a set full of songs that made me want to explore their back catalogue. The next two songs really connected with me ‘Silence Speaks’ and ‘To The Flowers’ are such great songs with lyrical messages that I know hit hard with so many. There is beauty in the melody of these songs with a side of kick your ass. What a combination and I could safely say this is where they really started draw me in.
‘Sleeps Society’ closed out their thirty-five-minute, eight song set. What a track to close with and didn’t the circle pit show some serious appreciation. Live music and seeing bands live is so much more than just streaming a song. You get all the emotions and messages, you see a personality and you get to have something switched on inside you. While She Sleeps is one of those bands and this was one of those sets.
Setlist: Systematic, The Guilty Party, Anti-social, Rainbows, Four Walls, Silence Speaks, To The Flowers, Sleeps Society.
WHILE SHE SLEEPS GALLERY
The Devil Wears Prada I had never seen live before, but was well aware of. TDWP first came onto my radar in around 2015. Their unique mix of Emo, pop-punk and metal instantly grabbed me. In fact, it was the 2022 song ‘Broken’ that really introduced me to them. It’s that doubled vocal of clean with dirty that TDWP does so well while maintaining that melodic and anthemic stadium ready rock edge. I must admit that seeing these guys live was a bucket list moment checked off. Personally, the bar was set high from my own expectations and what TDWP delivered tonight was nothing short of everything I had hoped for. They exceeded expectations if I’m one hundred percent honest. The combination of Mike Hranica’s clean vocals and Jeremy DePoyster’s dirty vocals live is something to be experienced. It truly is as if two people’s voices became one. DePoyster’s ability to pull out huge riffs while singing and crossing into Hranica’s lines is great to watch.
When it comes to guitars Kyle Sipress is modest in his presence but delivers the songs solos and riffs with precision. The triple guitar threat when Hranica picks up his is a huge wall of tones and sound that compliments the other parts. Keyboard player Jonathan Gering is the hidden gem in this band, delivering the massive bottom end bass lines and the lush keyboard parts really solidifies the band’s sound. Giuseppe Capolupo is a powerhouse and so damn precise behind the kit. He delivers the driving force effortlessly and is a joy to watch. His ability to play and lift his hi-hat stand in a weight rep motion for the last minute of the song was fun to watch.
The guitar breakdowns were immense, and the crowd simply went off with so many circle pits, crowd surfers and heads banging. TDWP are deserving of their own headline tour, with full production this band will deliver one hell of a show and I for one will be back to see them again. TDWP have given us a show to remember and Bullet For My Valentine have to be something extra to follow them. Everything I had hoped for has been delivered and nothing was left on the stage tonight.
Setlist: Watchtower, Danger:Wildman, Salt, Broken, Ritual, For You, Chemical, Sacrifice.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA GALLERY
The stage cleared and covers were dropped revealing Bullet For My Valentines stage. The true impact of this stage once in full motion was simple yet stunning. A video ran on the screen that documented the year that was 2005/06 for the band and looking back they were just kids who has the world thrust at them and would see then deliver one of the most important metal albums of the noughties. Bullet For My Valentine injected something fresh yet familiar into metal. That fine line between thrashy heavy riffs, breakdowns, emo and traditional British metal elements and solos that simply melted your face. In many ways this band of musicians in their mid-twenties had no idea what was ahead for them. Neither did the world for that matter.
To think we got to see this 20th anniversary celebration so close to its original release date showcased how important the bands connection to Australia is. Let’s face it as a country when we embrace a band, we really get behind them and Bullet For My Valentine have given back just as well as we give.
Tonight was the first show of a three-date run up Australia’s east coast. The last time they were here in December of 2023 they put on one hell of a show. That was my first time seeing them, it was a festival surrounding so to now see them hold their own in an Arena was going to be something else. The surge and energy in the room simply made the hairs on your arms stand on end. Watching the video montage of the band in 05/06 truly did take you back to the beginning. For me it was 2006 when I discovered the band through friends and magazines (remember them?)
As the intro played the screams and cheers of fans was deafening and the band relentlessly tore into ‘Her Voice Resides’. As the riff and groove saw heads band and fist punch the air our faces were melted by the pyro flames that filled the stage. Matt Tuck commanding and owning his space on stage as he sang through this song was engaging. Guitarist Michael Paget is fierce as ever as he delivered his parts with just as much gusto as Tuck. Jamie Mathias is pure thunder and fills the vocals to perfection, his connection to the always smiling Jason Bowld on drums is massive.
Bodies started to flow over the front barrier and the circle pit swarmed and grew. It was hard to know exactly where to look the energy simply pulled you in, it was a vortex of energy, mayhem and great songs. This was one of those shows that had every voice singing every word and for the duration of the first three songs we were treated to an all-out assault on the senses, pyro, fire, riffs, menacing vocals, power and grooves that just made you forget anything outside of the here and now.
For those that know the album it was played sequentially but was oddly missing ‘Spit You Out’ so the flow was like putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes and allowed you to get lost in the music and performance. For me there was never a dull moment, a false step or stutter it’s a damn well oiled show.
Tuck has this ability to connect and command with a crowd. He has all of the hallmarks of the greatest guitar wielding frontmen of our time. Paget is a smiling assassin and makes delivering these riffs and solos so effortlessly and would have to be one of my favourite guitarists of this decade. When you reflect on twenty years and you see the band in it’s infancy it’s refreshing to see a band that grown so much. In twenty years the songs that make up ‘The Poison’ still stand up and feel fresh when presented live like this.
Visually the show is a treat and the energy just immerses you. As an arena band Bullet For My Valentine hold and command their own. Twenty years of hard work, live shows and dedication have created a legacy that I’m sure has only just started. As Tuck said were ready for the next twenty.
The encore was a short sharp reminder of what happened between then and no, concluding with more pyro and a storm of confetti. Tuck also mentioned that there is a new album coming in 2026. It’s a pity we didn’t get a taste tonight, but as they say “Good thing come to those who wait”. Hopefully the wait isn’t too long until we see BFMY back on our shores in support of new music.
Setlist: Her Voice Resides, 4 Words, Tears Don’t Fall, Suffocating Under Words Of Sorrow, Hit The Floor, All These Things I Hate, Hand Of Blood, Room 409, The Poison, 10 Years Today, Cries In Vain, The End
Encore : Knives, Scream Aim Fire, Waking The Demon
All image credits Shot by Slaidins Photography
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE GALLERY
With special thanks to Janine from Dallas Does PR & Destroy All Lines for the media access.
