Make Love, Not War
With half an hour before the support band take to the stage, people still frantically bargain with ticket touts, scrabbling around in their bags for an extra couple of pounds. This is surely the sign of a well-known band. Nickelback perhaps? Or maybe Linkin Park? The band in fact is Finland’s best-kept secret: HIM. Prepare to be blown away by heartfelt lyrics and an intriguing mixture of melodic intros and crashing guitars.
Once inside, the crowd wait impatiently through a disappointing support band. Viking Skull could be called the epitome of true metal, as each song mentions whisky and women whilst the singer stumbles around the stage with an intoxicated look in his eyes. The punters are not impressed. Nevertheless, they do employ the use of fantastic guitar playing.
People are desperately trying to push towards the front to be nearer to HIM, and more likely, Ville Valo. The charismatic front man of HIM boasts an extraordinary singing voice, touching lyrics and phenomenal good looks. The problem is, HIM's fourth album, Love Metal, did not even make it into the top 40 albums in the UK on its week of release. Most people had heard of them through a friend who is either Finnish or knew someone living in Finland. That may be about to change, though, as with their current single Funeral of Hearts, they received a top 20 placement in the singles chart.
As soon as HIM appear on stage the whole place erupts with noise. Launching into Soul on Fire, the rumoured new single, HIM set the crowd ablaze. For the next 90 minutes the crowd bask in the beauty of HIM’s unique sound. Singing of the difficulties of love, Valo is never still, or without a cigarette. He slinks around the stage, oozing confidence and the audience eagerly lap it up. Each song played fuels their passion, and by the time crowd pleaser Right Here in My Arms is played, the room is at fever pitch. Not by way of crowd surfing or franticly jumping, but in emotions, the Astoria is ready to explode. Their cover of Wicked Game is as usual, one of the highlights, as Valo’s smooth voice works the lyrics into something quite different to the original by Chris Isaak.
However, when the one song played from 2001’s Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights is played, a large proportion of the audience stumble over the words. This is a sure sign of a band that have become popular fast. ‘Deep Shadows…’ is a brilliant, darkly beautiful album which is often overlooked by fans in favour of ‘Razorblade Romance’.
Ever the optimist, Valo thinks that the UK will be broken with Love Metal. The audience are also optimistic; almost fifty people wait behind the venue for another glimpse of Valo’s chiselled features and trademark hat. This year you should expect Valo and co. to reinforce the lessons they have begun to teach Britain, and judging by their performance tonight, they are going to succeed.