Trivium at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Lineup: Upon A Burning Body, Caliban (cancelled), As I Lay Dying, Trivium.

The atmosphere on Sunday was lively! Opening act Upon A Burning Body erupted on to the stage with volume and smartly dressed charisma. It took all of five seconds for the ground floor to erupt into a huge mosh-pit and the fast-paced violent sound sent the crowd into frenzy. With high screamo, growling vocals and stunningly tight drumming, the band took the venue from quiet chatter to a mass of moving bodies. Quite an achievement for an opening act, they had several members of the audience crowd surfing by the second song. New single Sin City was a major fan pleaser. A fantastic opener, their fast paced set had the room fired-up within no time. Upon A Burning Body closed the set with The Sound Of Truth, and people seemed sad to see this band walk off stage.

With Caliban unable to play due to a broken down tour bus, As I Lay Dying were soon taking over the stage. The opening song 94 Hours saw everyone going absolutely mental. This set had some really wonderful backing and chorus melodic vocals from bassist Josh Gilbert, who cut right through the thrashing texture with his pitch perfect chest voice melodies. Just the right balance of mushy sound and beats – perfect to jump up and down to – this band had the crowd punching the air. A circle pit formed many times during this set, which saw people throw themselves into an already tangled sea of bodies. The guitar solos were a welcome break from the heavy drive, shredding away in certain songs. Tracks The Greater Foundation and Nothing Left were huge audience pleasers, ensuing a massive roar when announced.

After a short break, it was time for the main event. There were a range of tracks from the new album In Waves, in particular the track Black was a real crowd pleaser. Several tracks from Ascendancy had older Trivium fans shouting with delight. They certainly got the balance between old and new material just right. Watch The World Burn saw a cameraman taking audience footage for a brand new second video for the track. The most recent video released, single Built To Fall, saw fans erupt once more. This was now becoming a regular occurrence and each song provoked another wave of energy spreading across the venue.

Classic track Ember To Inferno had the masses singing along as the songs just kept rolling out. The band kept the set flowing and Matt Heafy took the opportunity of short breaks to influence the crowd into mass circle pits, enthusing everyone to jump and ram home how much the band love playing the UK. Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis got its first London performance, to the surprise and delight of the fans. A fantastic end to the UK stint of their tour, Trivium pulled out all the stops and the crowd left with huge smiles on their faces (including some truly outstanding post-headbanging hair).

This was an amazing show for both old school Trivium fans and those just discovering the band. A huge age range was apparent in the audience, from parents accompanying young kids of around ten, to teenagers, young adults and more mature followers. It was great to see the variety in the audience and the entire gig was never lacking in energy, movement or sweat. A fantastic line-up, the bands complimented each other brilliantly. It was just such a shame one band was missing. Check out all of the bands on the bill below.

Verdict: ••••

Helen Whitcher

For further information including releases and future tour dates visit Trivium’s official website

Watch Trivium’s video for Built To Fall here: