Fearless Vampire Killers
It was typically a winter’s night, freezing our collective tushies outside the O2 Academy in Birmingham, waiting to celebrate New Years Day, a little late maybe, but time is not always the defining factor.
The room began to fill up, as we waited, breath bated, for Fearless Vampire Killers, a band I have heard of, but tonight would leave me forever kicking myself for not paying more attention to these guys. As a defence of sorts, it’s so difficult to keep track of every band and every release, live music is a dedicated avenue to illustrate the talent that is desperate to have their work seen and heard. Go out there and support these artists as much as you can, love music then live music. Our five alive tonight, Laurence, Luke, Kier, Shane and Drew fiery, feisty and freefalling into hell as we indulge in a little ‘Necromania’ not for the faint-hearted, as we collectively fear what the end might bring.
A little dig at the industry press, while I wished the ground would open up and swallow me, I pushed myself as far back into the wall as I could, sadly it was unyielding so I just hoped no one would suspect hahaha, ‘Keep Smiling’ it was all I could do.
We get a taste of some new music with ‘Back From The Void’ and the crowd is eagerly chomping on these tasty morsels that FVK fling around the room. It was great to see so many people turn out for these distinguished fellas; it isn’t unusual for the first band on stage to go unnoticed.
A formidable opening act, one of the best I’ve seen, delivering a sumptuous finishing move with ‘Neon In The Dance Halls’ we sang, well, I screeched, and we reset our bodies to engage with the next act, onwards!
Next up we had Conquer Divide, a new name to me, but hey we’re all joining in this journey at different levels and through different entrances, which makes for a very interesting and enjoyable experience.
With the rousing ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ as the set change singalong, we were primed for our purpose, top drawer entertainment, from a line up that was energising and galvanic. After they dosed us up with ‘Chemicals’ it was time to apply the ‘Pressure’ enough to leave us ‘Wide Awake’ yet ‘Paralysed’ in a world that is more heartache than happiness. Here, under this roof, it was a chance to be happy, truly happy, just for a few hours.
Conquer Divide
The ‘Slow Burn’ album proved a rollicking success in this live setting, plenty of people here already knew the words and rocked out fervently. I was content with a gentle boogie at the back, utterly wholesome and utterly thrilling.
It was a night to align ourselves with friendship, openness and belonging, our friends FVK said it best.
What costs you nothing, could cost someone everything, be kind, keep smiling.
Azra Pathan
Fearless Vampire Killers/ Conquer Divide
O2 Academy Birmingham 30th January 2025