Perfect anger management for a Monday that brought a never-ending mosh pit where no one under the age of thirty was in sight. Napalm Death supported Children of Bodom at their return to the UK, and gave enough energy to remind us that they have not changed throughout the decades. The academy lies on Oxford Street, which is usually filled with over privileged students; however this evening there were noticeably absent.
Napalm Death brought excellent riffs with indignation and speed that made me forget I stood in someone else’s heave when I got out of the stage pit. Vocalist Mark Greenway gave one last prolonged scream before leaving the stage. For a band that has been going since 1981, they still know how to fire up a crowd.
Numerous photo opportunities were missed whilst in the pit during Children of Bodoms performance due to the ecstatic crowd surfers. However that didn’t stop them from posing towards the camera for those close ups; but once the cameras left they resumed to giving 110% to the crowd. But the audience were especially thrilled when Alexi Laiho offered to play some “old school tunes”. It’s a shame about the small stage because drummer Jaska Raatikainen and keyboardist Janne Wirman were hidden in the shadows, I hope London proved to be a better arena for them to be known to the crowd. Rhythm guitarist Roope Latvala gave a lot of energy to share throughout the performance to share the Laiho limelight.
Overall a great way to forget its Monday work and it’s back to the drawing board in the morning. The exhaustion was forgotten and the thrills endure.
Kim Whitworth
