SET IT OFF – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 10 NOVEMBER 2022

BY SHARI BLACK VELVET

“This tour was supposed to happen in 2019,” frontman of Set It Off, Cody Carson, says after opening number ‘Skeleton’. “And it’s finally fucking happening!” he adds, to a cheer. We last caught Set It Off in the UK in 2018 and yes, we’ve missed them since then. ‘Skeleton’, second song ‘Projector’ and the tracks that follow are a joy to hear again. This is the Welcome To Elsewhere Tour, following their release of ‘Elsewhere’ at the start of the year. ‘Why Do I’, from the album, gives off a vibrant, dancey, almost Marianas Trench vibe. The band carry off a hair colour scheme that matches the ‘Elsewhere’ theme – Cody having flamingo pink hair, bassist Zach DeWall having canary yellow hair, and drummer Maxx Danziger with green hair. 

‘Killer In The Mirror’ sees Cody climbing into the crowd and standing up over their heads, before doing a little bit of crowd surfing to get back to the stage. Going back to the ‘Duality’ album, Cody announces, “This song goes out to anyone that has sex with their ex… Don’t do it!” It’s ‘Ancient History’. It’s a melodic super-tune, which the audience sings along to at the top of their lungs. 

Cody mentions the pandemic a few times. Before ‘Lonely Dance’, he comments how “there were a group of people that were OK being sequestered, and that was the fucking introverts out there. They’re like, ‘You have to stay all alone’. We’re like, ‘Fucking cool’.” He can definitely count us into that group, although as much as we did enjoy time home alone with no shows, we’re happy to be back seeing Set It Off and others again. 

Cody shows off his multi-instrumental skills, playing the keyboards in the vulnerable ‘Unopened Windows’. He shares a story of how his father passed away in 2008 to cancer, with a few bars of ‘Danny Boy’ playing through the speakers before it. It’s a heart-wrenching moment, which he plays “for anybody that’s ever dealt with loss”. The crowd put their camera phone lights up in the air, while Cody ends the song with a few notes of ‘Danny Boy’ on a clarinet. 

The band, which includes a fill-in guitarist, Nick Jones, who comes to the front for a scorching guitar solo, plays a nine-song medley, featuring ’No Disrespect’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘Partners In Crime’ and more. The funky 'Dangerous', which has been picked up by a bunch of sporting authorities, is massive. Drummer Maxx Danziger also leaves the drum kit to come to the front of the stage to sing ‘Bad Guy’ with a ukulele. Cody takes his seat behind the drums for the song. Cody also plays the saxophone in ‘Loose Cannon’. This all makes the set interesting and hypnotizing. 

Speaking of hypnotizing, ‘Hypnotized’, ‘Why Worry’ and ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’ wrap up the set, making it a bouncy, sweaty and even more hypnotizing ending. With the band having already been booked for Download Festival in 2023, and more shows to be announced, we’re already looking forward to 2023 and more Set It Off shows to come. The future is looking bright – dayglo pink, yellow and green bright – for Set It Off. 

Older Set It Off photos are HERE