On October the 22nd 2015, Delain started their European headlining tour at The Marble Factory in Bristol, England. With Anneke Van Gierbergen's The Gentle Storm and Welsh band Kyshera as supporting acts, the dutch symphonic band pleased rockers with their fresh "feel-good" songs and the right dose of metal.
What inspired me to start blogging about music, entertainment and cool stuff was the urge to tell the world about a fresh, new, supporting band that blew my mind with its charm at a Tarot concert in Mexico City. This was back in 2010 and that band was Delain. Five years and two albums after, I got the opportunity to be in the first show of their 2015 headlining tour in Bristol, England. I had pretty big expectations and, fortunately, they were pleasantly surpassed.
By the time I got into the venue, supporting band Kyshera was already playing. The Welsh "power trio" did a good job warming the audience; playing something similar to metalcore that they defined as "konik". Their music is not my cup of tea at all, but I think teenagers could like it.
What I would criticize about this band's show is their use of samplers. Even though must bands use them, for me samplers are a big turn off; even more if bands sample rhythmic or acoustic guitars. Live music is supposed to be LIVE.
In the end, Kyshera showed energy and passion on stage, but their music just didn't click with me.
When I bought my ticket, I had no clue who the opening bands were, and I didn't care. To my surprise, the second band was The Gentle Storm, the latest project of Anneke Van Giersbergen - In case you don't know who she is, Anneke is the vocalist that inspired the music of bands such as Nightwish, After Forever, Epica and many other female-fronted metal bands - and to top it up, her backing vocalist was the talented Mexican singer Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion).
Anneke has a unique voice that warms the heart, and the musicians playing with her are extremely talented. Their half an hour setlist was conformed by songs of the album The Diary and tunes of Anneke's former bands (The Gathering and Agua de Annique). There couldn't be a better opening act than a legend of the genre.
As much as I enjoyed the supporting act, I was really anxious to see Delain live. The band started their set list with the song "Tell Me, Mechanist" from their latest album The Human Contradiction. It was a much unexpected opening number, and a very powerful one. It made good pairing with the second song "Army of dolls", which has become one of the favourite songs of the band to play live.
Delain is an ensemble that sets a very special mood in their live act. Their attitude and music make fans feel empowered with a very possitive energy. Their sound has the aggressiveness of heavy metal, but certain magic that makes people smile and be in a good mood.
Charlotte Wessels is one of the most charming singers in the metal scene. She doesn't stop smiling, and she really seems to enjoy every moment of every song of the set list. She is sweet and imposing at the same time. That combination could be appreciated in the very hyped live version of their single "Stardust".
The other musicians of the band seemed to be having a blast as well. It was guitarist Merel Bechtold's first performance as an official member of the Delain, and she nailed graciously all her riffs and solos. Also band leader Martijn Westerholt gave all his energy with his kick-ass keyboard melodies.
In general, the set list was well-balanced, and included songs from the four albums of the band. A surprise of the night was that the band played many tunes from its first record, Lucidity. "Sleepwalkers Dream", "Frozen" and "Silhouette of a Dancer" were a very pleasant treat for the band's oldest fans. With so many changes in the band's line-up, it is amazing to listen to the new flavour this particular ensemble impregnates to this songs.
Delains trademark songs also made Bristol's Marble Factory shake. "April Rain", "The Gathering", "Get the Devil out of Me" and the closing number "We are the others" made the audience cheer and sing with their memorable choruses and catchy melodies.
Bristol's Marble Factory saw the premiere of "Turn the Lights Out", a new song that will possibly be in the next album of Delain. It is a very enjoyable mid-tempo song, with a vibe similar to the one of The Human Contradiction. As most of Delain's tunes, it has a very singable chorus. At least in the live version, it includes some brilliant backing vocals from lead guitarist Timo Sommers. I hope he sings also in the album version, because his voice mingles extraordinarily with Charlotte's.
As I said before, I am not a fan of backing tracks or samplers in live performances. While playing the song "Milk and Honey", the backing track was not in synch with the instruments, which made the band struggle throughout the tune to get it right, especially drummer Ruben Israel. Delain is a fantastic live band, it shouldn't let these kind of gimmicks undermine its show.
In the end, I had a lot of fun with Delain. They played the right amount of time to make fans happy, but to leave them craving for more. There were no boring moments or dispensable songs. It was a great start for their European tour. I would definitely recommend attending to a concert of this band.
Have you seen Delain on tour? Are you planning to attend to one of their concerts? Please, comment and share.
Set lists:
The Gentle Storm
Heart of Amsterdam
Brightest Light
The Storm
Eléanor (The Gathering)
Witnesses (Aqua de Annique)
Strange Machines (The Gathering)
Fallout (Devin Townsend Project)
Shores of India
Delain
Tell Me, Mechanist
Army of Dolls
Stardust
Milk and Honey
Sleepwalkers Dream
Frozen
April Rain
Silhouette of a Dancer
Lullaby
Turn the Lights Out (New song)
Get the Devil Out of Me
The Gathering
The Tragedy of Commons
Not Enough
------ Encore ------
Mother Machine
Stay Forever
We Are the Others
By the time I got into the venue, supporting band Kyshera was already playing. The Welsh "power trio" did a good job warming the audience; playing something similar to metalcore that they defined as "konik". Their music is not my cup of tea at all, but I think teenagers could like it.
What I would criticize about this band's show is their use of samplers. Even though must bands use them, for me samplers are a big turn off; even more if bands sample rhythmic or acoustic guitars. Live music is supposed to be LIVE.
In the end, Kyshera showed energy and passion on stage, but their music just didn't click with me.
When I bought my ticket, I had no clue who the opening bands were, and I didn't care. To my surprise, the second band was The Gentle Storm, the latest project of Anneke Van Giersbergen - In case you don't know who she is, Anneke is the vocalist that inspired the music of bands such as Nightwish, After Forever, Epica and many other female-fronted metal bands - and to top it up, her backing vocalist was the talented Mexican singer Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion).
Anneke has a unique voice that warms the heart, and the musicians playing with her are extremely talented. Their half an hour setlist was conformed by songs of the album The Diary and tunes of Anneke's former bands (The Gathering and Agua de Annique). There couldn't be a better opening act than a legend of the genre.
Delain is an ensemble that sets a very special mood in their live act. Their attitude and music make fans feel empowered with a very possitive energy. Their sound has the aggressiveness of heavy metal, but certain magic that makes people smile and be in a good mood.
Charlotte Wessels is one of the most charming singers in the metal scene. She doesn't stop smiling, and she really seems to enjoy every moment of every song of the set list. She is sweet and imposing at the same time. That combination could be appreciated in the very hyped live version of their single "Stardust".
The other musicians of the band seemed to be having a blast as well. It was guitarist Merel Bechtold's first performance as an official member of the Delain, and she nailed graciously all her riffs and solos. Also band leader Martijn Westerholt gave all his energy with his kick-ass keyboard melodies.
In general, the set list was well-balanced, and included songs from the four albums of the band. A surprise of the night was that the band played many tunes from its first record, Lucidity. "Sleepwalkers Dream", "Frozen" and "Silhouette of a Dancer" were a very pleasant treat for the band's oldest fans. With so many changes in the band's line-up, it is amazing to listen to the new flavour this particular ensemble impregnates to this songs.
Delains trademark songs also made Bristol's Marble Factory shake. "April Rain", "The Gathering", "Get the Devil out of Me" and the closing number "We are the others" made the audience cheer and sing with their memorable choruses and catchy melodies.
Small fragment of "April Rain" live
Bristol's Marble Factory saw the premiere of "Turn the Lights Out", a new song that will possibly be in the next album of Delain. It is a very enjoyable mid-tempo song, with a vibe similar to the one of The Human Contradiction. As most of Delain's tunes, it has a very singable chorus. At least in the live version, it includes some brilliant backing vocals from lead guitarist Timo Sommers. I hope he sings also in the album version, because his voice mingles extraordinarily with Charlotte's.
As I said before, I am not a fan of backing tracks or samplers in live performances. While playing the song "Milk and Honey", the backing track was not in synch with the instruments, which made the band struggle throughout the tune to get it right, especially drummer Ruben Israel. Delain is a fantastic live band, it shouldn't let these kind of gimmicks undermine its show.
In the end, I had a lot of fun with Delain. They played the right amount of time to make fans happy, but to leave them craving for more. There were no boring moments or dispensable songs. It was a great start for their European tour. I would definitely recommend attending to a concert of this band.
Have you seen Delain on tour? Are you planning to attend to one of their concerts? Please, comment and share.
Set lists:
The Gentle Storm
Heart of Amsterdam
Brightest Light
The Storm
Eléanor (The Gathering)
Witnesses (Aqua de Annique)
Strange Machines (The Gathering)
Fallout (Devin Townsend Project)
Shores of India
Delain
Tell Me, Mechanist
Army of Dolls
Stardust
Milk and Honey
Sleepwalkers Dream
Frozen
April Rain
Silhouette of a Dancer
Lullaby
Turn the Lights Out (New song)
Get the Devil Out of Me
The Gathering
The Tragedy of Commons
Not Enough
------ Encore ------
Mother Machine
Stay Forever
We Are the Others
I've seen Delain three times in California (and got to meet Charlotte after each show!). They're definitely my favorite live band. Too bad none of those were headline acts--I'm waiting to see some of their less-played tracks, especially Frozen and Start Swimming.
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