By Laura Dazon
ItÔÇÖs an agitated melting pot of people queuing around the Mortorpoint Arena of Cardiff that.┬á People of all ages, and, without bad wordplay, from all horizons, brought together to have a good time. While the concert room fills up, in this vibrant pre-night atmosphere: some people are in a hurry to get to the first row, where they wonÔÇÖt miss a thing, while others hasten to the bar. Soon enough, the lights turn off and a thrill runs through the crowd.
The first part is a group called ÔÇÿYonakaÔÇÖ. The lead-singer surrounded by red neon lights that beautifully reflect her silver shiny pants starts to sing. She goes through a few songs, whose new single about toxic love, ÔÇÿcreatureÔÇÖ, with energy, before greeting us and leaving to make room for the main support group: The Fever 333. My friend who went to the concert in Paris a few days ago warned me: ÔÇ£youÔÇÖll see, The Fever 333 are crazy.ÔÇØ When the scene lights up, the shock is immediate, and everyone expresses surprise. In the middle of the stage, his face covered by a hood, standing like a prisoner while strange noises play in the background, Jason Aalon Butler is about to go off and everyone knows it. The noises stop, he removes his hood and the ambiance is electrifying. Whether it is by going down among the public, throwing instruments or moving around, The Fever 333 illustrate perfectly what they said earlier this night: ÔÇ£When you leave this room, you might be confronted with opposition, but here you are free to be who the f*** you want to be!ÔÇØ In a few minutes, they built a crazy vibe, generating acclamations and excitement for the main event.
When their show is over, after another brief appearance of the YonakaÔÇÖs singer for a featuring, it is time for a break and for everyone to talk about how stimulating this performance was. Progressively, the tension builds up in the room, while everybody waits for Bring Me the Horizon to invade the space. The shiver down everyoneÔÇÖs spine when Oliver Sykes and his fellow musicians appear is such that the audience suddenly ignites. The loud music cannot cover the screams, the whistles and cheering. The decor is raw, one black and white screen on each side, two interwoven metal structure on the ceiling, enlighten by neon lights, the five members of the group are giving their all. Quickly, as commonly the case in metal music concerts, people dance pogo, and soon enough, they start doing several Braveheart Walls of Death (crowd movement where people intentionally run into each other).
Going through the setlist, among which their biggest hits like ÔÇÿCan you feel my heartÔÇÖ, ÔÇÿfollow youÔÇÖ, we perceive the ecstatic smile on OliverÔÇÖs face when he realises everybody is singing, or shouting, along with his voice. A lot of scenic effects enrich and punctuate the performance, such as smoke, ribbons falling from the ceilingÔǪ etc. The crowd is like hypnotised, following every order intimated by the singer ÔÇÿjump, jump, jumpÔÇÖ, ÔÇÿtake your friend, the person next to you on your shoulders, I want to see your lovely faces.ÔÇÖ
The grand finale, the apotheosis, is when the first notes of ÔÇÿThroneÔÇÖ resound. This is the most popular song of the band, the highlight of the show. The singer, who at that point has everything of an entertainer, urges everyone to sit down, to kneel. Crescendo, the music intensifies, everyone is ready to jump when the chorus blasts out, and the rhythm suddenly drives everyone as one big mass to jump repeatedly while thousands of confetti fall on us and surround the band. The picture is one of a kind, and the one we want to remember from this concert: hundreds of people enchained to music, all taken away by a powerful energy that lives us dreamy afterwards. ÔÇ£Thanks, Cardiff, for tonight. You guys were awesome!ÔÇØ As the crowd is dissipating and the murmurings merely echo in the hall as everyone is opting out by the front door, I am left with a powerful impression, and the feeling I have been brought to a new Horizon.