Musical Mayhem with Lacuna Coil

"Are you still wide awake London? Are you still here with us?" Judging from the frenzy of bellows and high pitched squeals that shook the building’s foundations, it seemed Italian lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia should not have feared a lack lustre response; Lacuna Coil were going to go down a treat, as an incredibly animated audience were only too happy to lap up a gut wrenching performance at the hands of these Mediterranean musical sorcerers, leaving the ULU giddy in their wake.

First up for the night were British metal group October Fall, riddling the audience with devastating rounds of fuzz and thrash, which reigned down like bullets on unsuspecting eardrums; suffice to say, only the faintest hints of melody strained to be heard over the cacophony, but these metallers did well to prick up ears and fuel the musical alchemy of the night. The next group of tattoo wielding misfits that clambered on stage got the balance just right; US based Straight Line Stitch had the energy and the presence to keep this bloodthirsty mob at bay, plunging into track after raucous track of hard hitting rock, which the crowd feasted on with gusto, writhing and colliding frenziedly with one another, like a mass of uncoiling snakes.

There could only be one snake charmer big enough for this stage however, as the witching hour drew near. Out of the billowing darkness, the enchanting Cristina Scabbia glides on stage, followed in hot pursuit by her musical juggernauts, and with a wave of an ethereal hand, a strike of a plectrum, and a hammering of drum sticks on drums, Lacuna Coil pounce, injecting the crowd with their own lethal venom of gothic metal. The crowd sways like in a drunken stupor, whilst  Lacuna Coil unleash a deadly arsenal of songs for the night,  bombarding the audience
with songs which brought the band to prominence including, ‘Our Truth’,  ‘Heavens a lie’, ‘ I won’t tell you’ , ‘Fragments of Faith’ and ‘I’m not afraid’. All eyes are transfixed on the bewitching Cristina, donning an outfit emblazoned in fiery red that glitters like scales, with an alluring voice that never wanes or falters, amidst the cacophonous din of screeching guitars and booming bass.

Lacuna Coil strikes one as being a group of great humility and they were evidently appreciative of the committed English fan bases that had flocked to see them in their droves. Founded in Milan in 1994, and after five studio albums (soon to be six) and endless time away on the road, Lacuna Coil make it clear they still hold dear to their roots, and illustrated this with an interlude in their set, asking the audience to acknowledge ‘Within Me’, one of the few songs composed by the group in their native tongue of Italian.

The set’s finale manifests itself as a gritty and anthemic rendition of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’, which is met with hysteria from the rabble, begging for more; there plea is granted with the band’s big hits ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Closer’ and a sea of convulsing bodies surges forward in all directions. Regardless of the incessant head banging, the stench of sweat and whiplash marks from beer matted dreadlocks, Lacuna Coil‘s blend of musical mayhem had the desired effect for fans new and old, and those who were willing to give these metal heads a tryout, were spoilt rotten with this punchy performance. 

Lacuna Coil are due to release their sixth studio album at the end of January 2012, entitled ‘Dark Adrenaline’.  In the meantime, check out ‘Trip the Darkness’ as a taster for whats instore from these blackened hearts!

http://www.lacunacoil.it/