Lacuna Coil @ The Institute, 5th November 2014
Tongue in cheek Bonfire Night clichés always go down well so here is one from tonight: Remember, remember Lacuna Coil play Birmingham in November. Fittingly, it is three years to the day since Italian Goth masters Lacuna Coil played at The Institute in the downstairs Library venue. A bitterly cold Birmingham night saw the band arrive onstage with all the grandeur of a family firework display.
Their image has always been a key part of their music and tonight joint lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia was simply stunning in a way that reminded me of some leading lady from a Hammer Horror. As for the music, the band flew straight into Trip The Darkness, followed quickly by Spellbound. Cristina and fellow vocalist Andréa always have a good stage rapport together and of course their vocals work really well. Tonight their sound was loud, clear and in my opinion, epic!
Cristina always plays to the crowd whether giving them the bad news about their poorly bass player, missing from the European tour this time around, or winding them up for the next onslaught. Do you remember this? She shouts as the opening chords of the majestic Heavens a Lie are thrashed out to the delight of the frenzied crowd.
You can see from their faces that the band enjoy every minute on stage and you tell that this is a family rather than just another band, Before the track Victims from the Broken Crown Halo album Cristina tells of how being in a band for 16 years through the ups and downs and what really matters is you the fans, our extended family, you guys make it all worth while. When Victims is played Cristina and Andrea thank their fans for coming tonight; “we love you Birmingham”.
They were not afraid to mix it up either “Birmingham we going to do a cover now. Have any of you heard of Depeche Mode?” she asks the crowd. They respond with screams of “Yes”. She asked them to sing along with Enjoy The Silence, appealing for them to sing louder during the final chorus? The response, the sound of a packed Institute singing “all I ever wanted; all I ever needed, was a pure delight as the band left the stage.
The band returned minutes later for Nothing Stands In Our Way and closed the set with Our Truth and the applause still ringing out. Tonight Lacuna Coil and the Coilers were as one and those lucky enough to be here witnessed a November the 5th to really be “remembered”.
Set List:
Trip the Darkness
Spellbound
Intoxicated
Die & Rise
Heaven’s a Lie
Fire
Victims
To the Edge
Zombies
Upsidedown
Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode cover)
Encore:
Nothing Stands in Our Way
Our Truth
Photographs and Review: Ian Dunn