Fearless Vampire Killers have released their second album Unbreakable Hearts and, not a band to pass up the chance to celebrate, they chose a London headline show to mark the occasion- with a twist, of course. Cabaret of the Damned has live music, magician Dee Christopher, ballet dancer Simona ‘Maleficent’ Martini and a fancy dress competition. Well, they wouldn’t put on just any old live show, would they?
Warming up the crowd first are Valens. Although they are mostly unknown tonight, they still get the energy pumping through the crowd with their stage presence, which captures the entire room. Ashestoangels continue to get the crowd involved- mainly by diving feet-first into them- and their fun, fast-paced set is exhausting. They’re totally crazy, but they manage to pull everyone along for the ride.
It’s time for Fearless Vampire Killers to take to the stage and, as they all walk out in full Halloween face paint, it’s obvious they’re here to have fun tonight. Opening with ‘Neon in the Dance Halls’, the first single from the new album, is a risk but luckily they have a devoted fanbase that know every word and welcome a new song with open arms. The love for new material flows throughout the show with tracks such as ‘Edge of Eternity’ and ‘Unbreakable Hearts’, which the band make very clear is dedicated to all the people that helped them along the somewhat dicey path to releasing the album. There are still plenty of fan favourites to rock out to though, with the crowd screaming the lyrics of ‘Could We Burn, Darling?’ at an almost deafening volume, while ‘Bow Ties on Dead Guys’ has everyone off their feet and ‘All Hallows Evil’ truly indulges in the Halloween spirit. They finish their set with new single ‘Maeby’, which is already an obvious hit, before returning for an encore of the sing-a-long ‘At War With the Thirst’ and their now-traditional cover of Wham! song ‘Club Tropicana’, inviting everyone behind the scenes to join them on stage for the party.
What makes them such a great live band? It could be Laurence’s dramatic theatricality, Kier’s magnetic charisma, Drew’s new dual role as bassist-keyboardist, Cyrus’ understated yet impressive guitar skills, or Luke’s relentless drumming. Throw in some awesome songs, a loyal fanbase and a touch of darkness, and this band are definitely onto something.
