Hollywood Undead / The One Hundred – Birmingham O2 Academy – 26/01/18
Hollywood Undead, the five-piece rap infused rock band sell out O2 Academy Birmingham with an immersive, dynamic and highly entertaining show in true Hollywood Undead style.
Hollywood Undead super fans are lined up along the barrier in their masses, adorning the band members signature masks and sporting Hollywood Undead-related tattoos. The dedication from this band’s fan base is certainly admirable.
The support band for this tour were The One Hundred (7). This band were perfectly suited to Hollywood Undead; their sound embodied a mash up of electronic beats and a punchy, driving rock sound. Tracks such as ‘Monster’, ‘Blackjack’, ‘Disengage’ were all well received with the audience, the electronic beats bombarding the audience with a deafening wall of bass. The One Hundred’s stage presence was met with a frantic lightshow and smoke machines, adding to their already dynamic performance. The bands frontman Jacob Field was darting around the stage, exuding an energy which matched the fast-paced, energetic style of their music. The band’s set made for the perfect warm up for Hollywood Undead, setting the mood for the madness that was about to ensue.
Hollywood Undead’s (9) highly anticipated set of the night starts with ‘Whatever It Takes’ from newest release Five, the excitement building as each member emerges on stage one by one. The stage was emblazoned with LED palm trees, smoke machines, sparklers and a Hollywood Undead sign, the eccentric stage set up matching the bands performance. Charlie Scene, J-Dog, Johnny 3 Tears and Danny all took their turn at the front of the stage, all bringing their own character and stage persona to create a dynamic and energetic performance.
The setlist then goes all the way back to early Hollywood Undead with tracks ‘Undead’ and ‘Been To Hell’ which were certainly a crowd pleaser. The set varied between their early material from the Swan Songs era to their newest release Five and everything in between; catering to the newbies and the seasoned Hollywood Undead listeners. The brilliant ‘War Child’ filled the room with an undeniably catchy dance beat that hypnotised the audience, a sea of people dancing and jumping to the captivating rhythm. One of the highlights of the set was ‘Bullet’, Hollywood Undead making the dark, melancholic nature of the lyrics of their hit track sound a lot more cheerful in a live performance; the crowd joining in by belting out the words. Halfway through Hollywood Undead brought one gig-goer onto the stage, the lucky fan by the name of Kyle had the rare opportunity to play out a riff onstage with the band.
The encore started with the classic Hollywood Undead track ‘Everywhere I Go’, the fans going wild as soon as the opening notes from the steel drums rang out. Concluding the night with ‘Hear Me Now’, the set went out with a bang. A Hollywood Undead performance is one you certainly need to experience.
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Review & Photos: Steph Evans
