THEATRES DES VAMPIRES & THE FORESHADOWING
LONDON ISLINGTON ACADEMY – 28/5/11
Was a tough choice deciding what to go to tonight as in central London Anne Marie Hurst of Ghost Dance and Skeletal Family fame was playing the 100 Club. If the two clans had combined forces it would have been a really formidable show and both would no doubt have benefited from an increased audience, but there you go.
It was going to be a task fitting four bands on with a 10’oclock curfew and the casualty was the first act who I completely missed. The second were just coming on stage when I got there and were called Orestea and were of unknown origin to me. Apparently this young looking group formed around the end of 2008 and have already gained some fans who were all down the front giving their support. They immediately went into an enthusiastic display led by vocalist Lisa Avon who as soon as she started singing reminded me of Deadlock chanteuse Sabine Scherer. There were many similarities to the German band as things progressed, in fact they even had a song called ‘Wolves’ in their repertoire. Having said that, this was no bad thing as they had the balls and dynamic to pull it all off and even if the male vocals which occasionally bit in were not quite as feral the group showed definite promise. The sound was also really packing a punch and was nice and crunchy for the more extreme jagged moments and suitably clear for the more commercial elements. These were noted by moments were lighters were called on to come out and the upbeat positivity of “we could do anything” lyrics. This band from Guildford certainly are worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Fellow Italians to the headliners are The Foreshadowing, a band I have encountered but one who have really slipped through my fingers as their past couple of albums have fell into the hands of other reviewers. I was aware that they were of the Gothic metal variety and instantly fell under their sombre spell and tried not to name the obvious bands that share their mindset for playing similarly music tinged with evidently sorrowful gloom and doom. The group lined up on stage and went into things slowly, head-banging as they wrung tortured anguish out of their instruments. A burst of keyboards increased the gravity but from the second singer Marco Benevento strode on stage he pretty much had us all captivated. He looked the part and sounded it too with a deep and rich voice laden with heavy croons which really added both passion and soul to the instrumentation.
Although I was not really au fait with these misery serenades, songs like last album’s title track ‘Oionos’ with its impressive jangling guitar assault and heartfelt vocal clamour really hit the mark and came across as laments of the highest order. One song I did recognise instantly was a cover of Sting’s ‘Russians’ which cut a sombre shroud at odds with the proceeding first album song which even had audience members clapping along to it! Finishing with a flourish and a crunchy finale via last number ‘Chant Of Widows’ they had me deciding I shall be paying more attention when the next album turns up.
A quick count up of the set list showed us that Theatres Des Vampires were playing no less than 17 numbers, so it was going to be an impressive performance in more ways than one. What an entrance too, Sonia Scarlet was decked out as though she was taking part in the Venice carnival. This combined with the bombastic sound and the might and power behind opening number ‘Keeper Of Secrets’ gave us a bit of a sensory overload. The players behind her were wearing masks which quickly came off and it was not long either before Sonia whipped off her ball-gown revealing rather less underneath!
‘Lilith Mater’ was now demanding blood from the nun’s neck and although there were no willing supplicants the songs had quickly got everyone in the venue moving around, in thrall to their heady beat. I have to admire the keyboard parts courtesy of Fabian who was playing his synthesizer behind a scattered mound of skulls. He really injects a lot of mood and atmosphere into his parts from the poppy charge of ‘Sangue’ which the guitarists quickly inject with a thrash laden zeal to the bop trance beats of ‘Wherever You Are.’ It was difficult to focus on anything but Scarlet, hell I’m a red blooded victim at heart, but the group themselves did their best to keep my attention on them a bit too.
Cover time again and it was another one that was instantly recognisable being The Cult’s ‘Rain,’ a song that was impossible not to have us singing along to. Sonia disappeared and came back in white, well so I thought as I was on the balcony by now but from a distance realised it was not her but a professional ballet dancer, twirling on her toes. The songs came as thick as the flow of blood itself and by the encore we were still up for more even if the group had done their best to drain us. Sonia was back looking like she had embraced the pagan delights of ‘Blood On Satan’s Claw’ but it was the Gothic Romance of ‘Camilla’ we were passionately whipped into, complete with the Foreshadowing singer joining in. All in all this was pretty epic show and one that really delivered the goods to the fans, shame there were not more in attendance but hopefully word will spread and there will be no clashes next time the dance macabre du vampire swings back to town.
Pete Woods
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