Mallory Knox + Call Me Amour @ O2 Institute Birmingham, 16 October 2024
An energetic and explosive performance kicked off tonight’s show as support band for Mallory Knox, Call Me Amour took to the stage and put in 110%. The band describe their sound as ‘mixing dark electronica with sonic guitars’. There are heavy riffs, a strong drum n bass influence, and stellar vocals from frontman Harry Redford.
Call me Amour showcased a six-song set, the standouts of which were ‘Bloom’ and ‘Girl On The
Wall’. I also really liked the change of pace in parts of ‘Blackout’. The band were joined onstage by
Mallory Knox frontman Mikey Chapman for their current single ‘Good Day’ which is out now. They
mentioned they’ll be back out on tour early next year with American band Set It Off.
The night’s headliners were Mallory Knox, who are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the release
of their acclaimed album Asymmetry with a reunion tour. The band split a few years ago following
the departure of vocalist Mikey Chapman, and the release of fourth album Mallory Knox, with
bassist Sam Douglas taking the lead vocal for their farewell tour.
This anniversary tour sees the band return to their original line up with all five members. Don’t get too excited though as tonight’s set began with Taylor Swift’s ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ blasting through the speakers. The majority of the set was filled with songs from first album Signals, and the album we were all there to celebrate – 2014’s Asymmetry. ‘Better Off Without You’ from the album Wired did feature in the encore and Mikey took the opportunity to talk about mental health and making changes. The stage was backed by an LED lightshow in the band’s branding, and it was great for a short person like me that Mikey stood on a platform for a large part of the show.
The crowd loved every moment, and favourites like ‘Getaway’ and ‘Death Rattle’ had everyone
chanting along. The standout moment for me was contemplative song ‘When Are We Waking Up’.
The band dedicated ‘Oceans’ to fans who’ve been with them from the start, and there was
reminiscence of the bands birth in the front room of drummer Dave Rawling’s parents’ front room.
The main part of the show closed with ‘Dare You’ from the Asymmetry album, but Mallory Knox
returned for a three-song encore beginning with ‘She Took Him To The Lake’. Inevitably, the final
song was the classic ‘Lighthouse’ which was performed alongside a large helping of strobe lighting
and smoke.
Setlist
- Ghost in the Mirror
- Getaway
- Dying to Survive
- Beggars
- Sugar
- When Are We Waking Up?
- Heart & Desire
- Wake Up
- Oceans
- Death Rattle
- Lonely Hours
- Shout at the Moon
- Dare You
……………………………. - She Took Him to the Lake
- Better Off Without You
- Lighthouse
Review: Chrissie Duxson
Photographs: Chris Bowley
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