Page 58 - Black Velvet Issue 88

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SUM 41 / FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES / ROAM / BITERS – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 12.02.16
BITERS stick out like a sore thumb on the Kerrang! Tour. A sore thumb with a perfectly manicured and painted nail. Despite having an element of
punk they’re a lot more rock ‘n’ roll… glam, even. A lot of the crowd just stand and watch, not quite sure what to make of the lashings of long hair
during songs such as ‘Low Lives In Hi Definition’. Vocalist/guitarist Tuk Smith shows he’s not a man to mess with as he picks out members of the au-
dience. He even invites one rock fan on stage to chug a bottle of beer in between songs. Songs from their ‘Electric Blood’ album such as ‘1975’ and
‘Restless Hearts’ have a glittery sparkle and sneery attitude. They’re fists-in-the-air rockers; ‘Heart Fulla Rock ‘N’ Roll’ includes some dual guitar work
that shows that they have talent and not just pretty boy looks. Before final song ‘Loose From The Noose’, Tuk applauds the crowd for not being on
Facebook, taking selfies or even looking at Pornhub during their set! It’s hard not to take your eyes off this band though, and by the end of the set the
crowd are won over. More please.
ROAM are harder, more rough
around the edges punk rock. Songs such
as ‘Warning Sign’, Hopeless Case’ and
‘Head Rush’ are speedy, frantic and
fierce. The five-piece band from East-
bourne dive around, jump up and down
and create chaos, urging the audience to
do the same. Live, they slightly lack the
tunefulness that they have on disc due to
their full-on onslaught. They could do with
easing back on the pace a little and infus-
ing a little more melody.
Whether you enjoy his music or not,
you can’t fail to be impressed by Frank
Carter. He knows how to put on a show.
He always has, he always will. After the
first song he jumps off the stage and
heads into the audience. Then he climbs
up from the floor onto the balcony and
sings from the balcony. Later on in the set
he heads back into the audience but gets
everyone to sit down around him for
‘Beautiful Death’, a melancholy song
about being with his father-in-law when he
passed away. The song mixes slow, mor-
bid sounding lines with painful screamy
verses. Other songs such as ‘Devil Inside
Me’ and ‘Juggernaut’ are pummelling
hardcore numbers. Respect to Frank, he
definitely knows how to make his mark.
It's good to see Sum 41 – and partic-
ularly frontman Deryck Whibley, back in
the UK and on stage. After battling alco-
hol addiction where he ended up in hos-
pital with a collapsed liver and kidney,
we’re relieved that he’s got better and is
now healthy and well enough to tour.
There are chants of ‘Sum 41’ before the
band arrive and when they do, Deryck
and the band get a big cheer. Opener
‘Over My Head (Better Off Dead)’ instantly
whips the crowd into a frenzy. The band
quickly run into ‘Motivation’ and already it
feels like a greatest hits set. ‘The Hell
Song’ keeps the adrenaline rushing. The
band are now a five-piece with Dave
Baksh back in the band. It’s great to see
him back and almost feels like the old
Sum 41 from years ago – except obvi-
ously Tom Thacker is in the band and now
Frank Zummo has taken the place of
Steve Jocz. Frank fits in perfectly with his
fast, hard-hitting drumming. Deryck invites
a few fans to watch the show from the
stage and picks five members of the au-
dience who are excited to be up there.
The band continue to entertain with songs
such as ‘Screaming Bloody Murder’,
‘Pieces’, ‘King Of Contradiction’ (with a
drum solo by Zummo) and even a cover
of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. There’s a
stream of crowd surfers during ‘Still Wait-
ing’ while the band end with ‘Fat Lip’. It’s
great to have Sum 41 back; these guys
are better off alive (not dead) and perform-
ing on stage.
YYYY
SBV
Deryck Whibley (Sum 41) Photo
By Shari Black Velvet
CONCERTS