It’s been just a year since Cradle Of Filth last hit this venue, that time with Behemoth and Inquisition. Their performance that night – which included numerous old gems such as ‘Haunted Shores’ and ‘Beneath the Howling Stars’ – got me thinking two things: one, that the brilliant ‘temporary’ line-up would prove anything but, and two, that whatever the band produced next would harken back to those faster glory years. On both counts I was unusually correct and it seems a bit of a no-brainer to state that this line-up has just put out the best COF disc in many years in the form of ‘Hammer of the Witches’. I was a bit confused then as I arrived towards the end of Ne Obliviscaris’ set to a half empty venue.
Ne Obliviscaris, for their part, had the majority of the crowd captivated with their unique take on extreme metal – flooding the venue with ethereal guitar parts, tech death metal flourishes and a violin, which certainly proved a first for me at a metal gig. Where initially my mood was one of skepticism, these Australians quickly altered my opinion as their combination of sounds manoeuvred seamlessly. Aside from checking out a bit of their debut when it came out my knowledge of them was nil, so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised; elaborate closer ‘And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope’ spellbinding with its dual vocals and sheer metal sophistication.
Speaking of live bands with a lot going on, the headliners have occasionally been a mixed bag with stilt walking weirdos and such like. But as mentioned before, the current line-up, which plays as metallic mindedly as the ‘classic’ mid-to-late-nineties era, along with the very talented Lindsay Schoolcraft on keyboards and backing vocals, have certainly shored up the Cradle Of Filth live experience. Tonight proved no exception to this impression of heightened musical standards. Before we get to the show itself however, it’s worth mentioning the cool crew at this penultimate show of the tour. Having myself heard accounts of Dani Filth’s berating of my ‘home town’ Norwich earlier on the tour, it brought back humorous recollections for the merch guy who related the frontman’s numerous references to Alan Partridge to me. And the lighting man listened with some sympathy to my stories of Norwich as we conversed over a cup of beans. But more on him later…
As the opening strains of ‘Humana Inspired to Nightmare’ filled the venue, I’d be lying if I said the prospect of ‘Heaven Torn Asunder’ didn’t have me rather excited. Unfortunately, no matter how tight the band was, this modest and work-tired Wednesday night crowd didn’t quite have the energy to greet such a classic with the rapture it deserves. (I myself was probably guiltier than most, standing zombie-like thanks to multiple big gigs last week, including Slayer, and endless early starts.) Still, the band was on fire playing-wise and best of all, they didn’t take it personally. Instead, Dani Filth constantly attempted to insight the crowd between songs, with great track following great track – from ‘Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids’ to ‘Malice Through the Looking Glass’ to an epic ‘Queen of Winter, Throned’, which closed the main set. Yet possibly the most interesting aspect from a COF point-of-view was just how well the new material slotted in against such master works.
‘Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess’ and ‘Blackest Magic in Practice’ seemed to be portents of what a bright creative future this version of the band may have. Whereas the earlier material performances replicated the originals faithfully, on this material – and particularly the thunderous encore of ‘Yours Immortally…’ – the players came into their own. From the solo trade-offs of Ashok and Rich Shaw to the impassioned vocals and sparing keyboard parts of Schoolcraft, it all kicked arse. Naturally it’s also hard not to mention Marthus (the best thing to happen to COF since Nick Barker) and Dani Filth, whose vocal performance still defies logic, and whose humour remains firmly intact despite all the negativity thrown his way. ‘Twisted Nails of Faith’, a surprisingly good ‘Nymphetamine Fix’ and ‘Her Ghost in the Fog’ made up the rest of the encore although for me the closer ‘The Forest Whispers My Name’ was the standout moment.
As I stood there watching this final track, it slowly dawned on me that my throw away comment of “Maybe you can get some Norwich City Football Club colours in there” to the lighting man had actually translated into reality! Obviously the band, and Ipswich fan Mr Filth in particular, appeared oblivious to the reason why they were bathed in yellow and green for the duration of the track. I like to think that if the frontman found out the reason afterwards, it would’ve made him chuckle. Personally, it was probably the most surreal and simultaneously cool gig experience I’ve ever had.
Thanks to the COF crew, the final score of ‘Inquisitional Tourture 2015’ was: Ipswich Town 1 – Norwich City 1.
Silly tribalism aside, COF were as good as expected and probably even better given how they gave it their all on a night where it took the crowd a while to really get going. All in all then, it was a memorable occasion, although it’s strange how quality seemingly has no bearing on popularity. More people should have been at tonight’s gig – especially those unwitting fashion victims who claim to be so “metal”. Tonight, this East Anglian entity was pure metal.
(Jamie)
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