When did Lacuna Coil get disco-friendly?
Set within the suitably extravagant Shepherd's Bush Empire, tonight's gothic revelries come thick and fast, meandering from psychedelic rock to Lacuna Coil's pioneering dark anthems. Taking a seat in a sprawling ocean of crimson stalls, I observe that this elegant setting is perhaps a tad too civilised in light of the rock 'n' roll antics that are soon to unfold.
Lingering somewhere between rage and romance, LA quartet Dommin open on a razor-sharp succession of riffs. Despite my considerable distance from the stage, frontman Kristopher's looming vocals rise crystal-clear toward the vaulted ceiling, backed with brooding, keyboard-driven symphonies. The band's bewitching set winds neatly to a close, followed swiftly by a less than graceful performance from Dirty Little Rabbits.
Conceived by Slipknot sticksman Shawn Crahan, the US rockers are much like a psychedelic revision of No Doubt. Hyperactive vocalist Stella Katsoudas leaps frantically about the stage, her caterwauling vocals matched with a progressive selection of psychedelic riffs. Though Crahan's drumming retains much of his signature aggression, this relentlessly brash, chaotic assault wears migraine-inducing after a while.
Lacuna Coil emerge amid a blinding flash of glitter and diamanté, boasting a super-slick sound teamed with an image quite literally to die for. Still reaping the rewards of 2009's hugely successful 'Shallow Life', the Italian metallers introduce a couple of choice cuts from this fiercely infectious record. Packed with swaggering guitars and digestible hooks, 'I Won't Tell You' whips the crowd into a frenzy as a smattering of red roses spill onto the stage before raven-haired siren, Cristina Scabbia. Although much of the band's trademark heaviness has been exchanged for a more accessible sound, vocalists Cristina and Andrea Ferro make for a typically dynamic duo.
While these disco-friendly hits prove undeniably infectious, I find myself craving Lacuna Coil's earlier, more metallic offerings. Feeling suddenly senior alongside a neighbouring gaggle of teens, my patience is finally rewarded as the unmistakable opening bars of 2001's 'Swamped' unravel toward a crushingly majestic chorus. The performance nears a moving climax with a bass-laden revision of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence'. Honeyed yet undeniably powerful, Cristina delivers the perfect accompaniment to a spiralling mass of melodic guitars.
Though I can't help but mourn the loss of a once-aggressive act, the band's ever-evolving back catalogue is truly a wonder to behold.
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