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When BABYMETAL‘s music video for ‘Gimme Chocolate’ went viral in 2014, not many people thought they would last five minutes, let alone be headlining the legendary Wembley Arena and playing to over 12,000 people two years later. Tonight, BABYMETAL prove that they are no gimmick and put on a show-stopping performance that is set to go down in history as one of the most unique, bizarre and brilliant shows this venue has ever seen.
As is usual for a BABYMETAL gig, there are no supports, save for Radio 1′s Daniel P Carter spinning some tunes to warm up the restless crowd. It’s worth noting that some dedicated fans have camped out overnight to guarantee front row, and many have come dressed in full-on BM cosplay, imitating the kawaii trio’s trademark Gothic Lolita costumes.
When Su-Metal, Moametal and Yuimetal finally grace the stage, it’s complete pandemonium as the Kami Band launch into BABYMETAL’s standard set opener, ‘Babymetal Death’ with a massive explosion only adding to the hysteria. The stage set up looks incredible and is an integral part of the performance, though by now everyone should know that BABYMETAL don’t do things by halves.
Considering the band’s second album Metal Resistance only came out a day prior to this show, remarkably a significant portion of the audience is already singing along to the new songs, in Japanese no less. The infectious ‘Awadama Fever’ has us all singing merrily about ‘chew chew chewing gum’ and other new tracks ‘Meta Taro’ and ‘Amore’ get their live premiere, sounding absolutely huge. Old favourites like ‘Doki Doki Morning’, ‘Megitsune’ and of course, ‘Gimme Chocolate’ aren’t forgotten about though, and are some of the biggest crowd pleasers.
As always, the girls’ energy levels and choreography is top notch, as is the musicianship of the virtuosic Kami Band who shred with masterful skill. Su-metal’s stunning and emotive voice is perfection as always, and as she croons her solo number ‘Akatsuki’, it’s clear she was born for the stage. There’s a Star Wars theme running throughout the evening and a bit of a daft moment when a voiceover informs us that Moametal and Yuimetal have been turned to the dark side by Darth Vader before ‘4no Uta’ kicks in, but it’s all part of the fun.
Taking a look around at tonight’s attendees, we realise the power of BABYMETAL. English language ballad ‘The One’ sums up everything that BABYMETAL is about – uniting people from all walks of life, from all over the world, whether it’s bearded metalheads or people who have never been to a metal gig before in their lives, through music. The fact that this show is being live streamed to the band’s native Japan makes it all the more special.
BABYMETAL draw the final curtain to a thrilling evening with the epic ‘Road to Resistance’, spurring the biggest circle pit of the night. To the people still bitching ‘that’s not metulz’ – there’s at least 12,000 people here who disagree with you, with hundreds of thousands the world over pledging their allegiance to the Metal Resistance.
