Tonight was the night. In this beautifully historic, three-tiered venue, the funky metal dudes of The One Hundred, and the brutal Californians Hollywood Undead performed a sold out show right here in London Town – By Holly Loveland. As there were only two bands tonight, the show times were later than usual. The One Hundred came on stage to perform their setlist at 8:00 pm, as opposed to the usual opening time of 7:30. They went straight in, the crowd already going wild for them. The singer keeping the energy alive so early into the night. Every song had some crowd-frontman interaction, making the crowd yell profanities, and pump their fists in the air. Every song from their 40 minute setlist started as it means to go on. The eccentric singer kept the flow of the entire set smooth, introducing every song they would play, asking if the crowd had seen them before, or knows of their previous albums. There was a healthy mix of songs off Subculture, and their newest one, Chaos & Bliss.
Their setlist included songs like Monster, Blackjack, Downfall, and Dark Matters. The older fans will appreciate the Subculture songs more so than the Chaos & Bliss songs. There was not a lot of circle pits being announced, but even so, this did not stop the fans from moving and making noise, joining in with the vocals. The set was fun, and they earned their sold out show, even if half of the crowd was here for the headliner, the main reason that they are performing this venue in the first place. The venue is huge and filled out for the fans from all over the world, not even just London or even England. The One Hundred brought their A game, their funky sound making the crowd want to move. They either lose or make the crowd with their distinct sound and what they stand for. Downfall was popular, the crowd seemed to eat it up as soon as it dropped, from as far as I could see nobody was stood still. Whether the crowd was singing or not, everyone felt like moving, and the crowd really drank their sound in. Not many people know of them, they have only been releasing music for a couple of years, but they were rightfully booked to perform alongside popular post-nu metal band, Hollywood Undead. Overall, in levels of performance, interaction, crowd vibe, and choice of setlist, I would give this a 10/10.
Now for the main event. The Californians of rap and metal combined dropped their Dove and Grenade flag over the stage as a backdrop and instantly started this hour-long crazy set with Whatever It Takes, at 9:15. As soon as the lights went dark for them to walk onto the stage, one by one, the crowd went wild, cheering and hollering even before the music started. All members walked on with their masks on, their trademark, if you will. The crowd went hard, circle pits for every song, fans moshing, even on the tiers, everyone was singing and dancing. The band would crack jokes and banter together before each song, and even brought a fan up to play guitar for them. The setlist was a good hour and 20 minutes and a healthy mix of songs from Swan Songs, Notes From The Underground, Day Of The Dead, and also their new release, V or Five, as its formally named. From popular songs such as Everywhere I Go, War Child, Bullet, Day Of The Dead, and newer ones like Riot, Renegade and California Dreaming, the crowd drank every song up. The lighting for the stage was altered to different colours throughout. The rapping and dancey type sound they go for was a crowd favourite for sure. The crowd rang in Everywhere I Go, repeating the opening line for a good few minutes before they came out again to perform it. Every member came out and gave it their all for this sold out show. Even items were thrown at them, Jorel caught a bra. Funnyman, Danny and Jorel were not wearing their masks the entire set, but Charlie and Johnny 3 Tears did. They remained connected with their audience, which was almost impossible to do in such a huge venue, and their music can be touch and go, but it was obvious that everyone who showed up was there for them. Undoubtedly one of the best I’ve seen. Overall, in levels of performance, interaction, crowd vibe and the choice of setlist, I would give this a 10/10, easily. Unmistakably deserving of this sold out show headliner opportunity.