Will Haven + Palm Reader @ The Asylum, 2nd November, 2018
The Asylum 2 in Birmingham was a special place to be tonight. It’s a very rare occurrence for Will Haven to head over to the UK, let alone to play in Birmingham. There was no way I was going to miss this chance to see what by their own admission ‘could be the last tour over here’.
Before the headliners, the room was already full to bursting with a real sense of anticipation pulsing from support Palm Reader, playing for their third time this year at the Asylum, and their second time touring with Will Haven. They have clearly made an impact as they had a good share of their own fans in attendance, and as soon as they start playing it isn’t hard to understand why. Setting the tone for the night, they are the perfect warm up to the main act.
Talking to a friend during the gig, we discussed how there are two types of people on this planet: people who love Will Haven, and people who are yet to appreciate them. Now I think it would be fair to say that they are a particular taste, but for those that have acquired this taste, we are a folk who understand that they are simply the best at what they do. Grady’s vocals are second to none, Jeff’s guitar tones are just insane, Adrein’s bass shakes the room and Mitch’s drums just pound. These guys have cult status and every bit of it is deserved.
Cue Will Haven. The room was now packed. Grady jumps the barrier to the stage and the opening vocals of Fresno scream out. The band kick in and they sound every bit as good as the last time I saw Will Haven live back in the early 2000’s. Grady and Jeff climb all over the barriers mixing with the crowd and hyping them up whilst they work through their set which is a mix of old and new, with even a cheeky bit of Pink Floyd thrown in.
Half way through Grady asks the crowd ‘Who’s been here since El Diablo?’ With Jeff’s guitar ringing out, the start of I’ve seen my fate, the crowd scream, Will Haven burst to life, Grady climbs the barriers screaming ‘Crown me I am god like!’ I don’t think anyone in the room would have disagreed.
They finish on Moving to Montana which is Will Haven at their best. The song was heavy beyond all recognition; guitars are screaming, Grady’s vocals are relentless. You couldn’t have picked a better song to finish on. I really hope this wasn’t the last time the UK gets to see Will Haven live.
If you get the chance to see them, wherever you are, don’t miss it; you will regret it.
Reviewer and Photographer: Marc Osborne