NEW YEARS DAY - BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY 2, 30.01.25

BY SHARI BLACK VELVET

It seems like almost a lifetime ago that we first saw New Years Day opening for Sugarcult in Anaheim in 2007. 18 years later, Ash Costello has shown how her relentless passion and focused vision for the band has led her, step by step, up the ladder of success. With albums such as ‘Unbreakable’, Ash Costello and New Years Day really ARE unbreakable.

It’s been so long since we’ve been in the Academy 2, it’s almost like a blast from the past, and, with us not catching opening band Fearless Vampire Killers since their hiatus in 2016 until now, it really is like the past has been transported back towards us. It’s fun to see the five-piece from Beccles again, as well as second band, Conquer Divide, who currently now include a male touring bassist/unclean vocalist (Spencer Maybe) in their predominantly female line-up. Both bands fit seamlessly as supports to New Years Day and warm the crowd up perfectly.

With their fifth album, ‘Half Black Heart’, having been released in early 2024, New Years Day kick off their show with the opening track, ‘Vampyre’, a powerful and innovative metallic construction that slays everyone in the vicinity. Ash Costello brings guitarists Nikki Misery and Jeremy Valentyne, plus drummer Tommy Rockoff, with her onto the stage. For this tour, there is no bass player.

“Let’s have some fun tonight,” Ash says to the crowd before the album’s title track begins. The prominent frontwoman whips her hair around to the sturdy beat. ‘Come For Me’ is an in-your-face force to be reckoned with, with its addictive, stuttering chorus, while ‘Shut Up’ is dedicated to all the girls in the audience. The song is a dancier, pop tune, while still possessing dark undertones. ‘Fearless’ goes down a treat, with its inimitable hook and motivational lyrics. The band’s cover of Kehlani’s ‘Gangsta’ streams through the speakers, with the band adding their heavier riffs and beat on top. “Birmingham, are you going to be my ride or die tonight?” asks Ash. She receives a loud cheer in response. She promises that the band will never leave it this long before returning.

The crowd are told that whoever is rocking the hardest to ‘Hurts Like Hell’ will get a free T-shirt. It’s the perfect song to rock out hard to.
There’s a second cover in the set, which, we’re told, is to please the metal gods. It’s a cover of Pantera’s ‘Fucking Hostile’, showing the diversity of the band’s influences. “The metal gods have been pleased,” Ash says, at the end of the song.

One of the highlights of the set is when Ash and guitarist Nikki head off the stage and into the back of the audience to perform a couple of songs (‘Skeletons’, which aptly includes the lyrics, ‘I wanna get closer to where you hide, I wanna see further into your eyes’, and ‘I’m About To Break You’). The audience surrounds them while they perform on the floor.
‘Defame Me’ wraps the set up, before the band take a photo with the crowd. It’s entertaining how Ash organises the photo, looking into the crowd, telling them, “We only have a few minutes, so listen to the rules. Can the people at the side come into the middle?” and “Squeeze in... There’s a weird gap here. There’s a weird gap right there, fill that shit in.” “Can we turn the stage lights off and just the crowd lights on? Perfect! But the front row is totally dark…”
“Everyone down. Now, on the count of three, two hands up in the air and scream.”
Then, “Now, just the girls… One more.”

Encore ‘Kill Or Be Killed’ seals the night, with Ash preceding it, saying, “New Years Day is not a band… We didn’t start this to be a band, or to be a famous band, or whatever the fuck that is. We’re up here because we want to belong to you. We want to belong somewhere. We want you to belong to us. And that’s all that matters tonight, especially on this last song. So, show me what you’ve got.” Heavy chugging guitar riffs dominate, while the audience sings, dances, jumps and moves along with Ash, definitely showing everything they have left.
Tonight, New Years Day killed it, and, with 2025 being 20 years since the original formation of New Years Day, celebrations are in order, and well deserved.