Feb 23, 2020

NEW YEARS DAY - Live from The O2 Academy Islington

Alternative metal heads New Years Day have embarked on their first UK headline tour, bringing them to Islington’s O2 Academy in support of their 4th studio album, Unbreakable. Hailing from sunny California, sweet and sassy vocalist Ash Costello leads the ranks with long-time band member and friend Nikki Misery on rhythm guitars, Austin Ingerman on lead, Frankie Sil on bass, and drummer Longineu W. Parsons III at her sides for a night of inclusivity and belonging.

Kicking off the early evenings set times were Call Me Amour, performing their tracks ‘Tourniquet’ and a heavy cover of Post Malone’s ‘rockstar’ with as much boundless frenetic energy as a bunch of children on a sugar rush being let loose in a playground. Except they’d been let loose in the venue, with vocalist Harry Radford deciding he’d be better off with his own stage in the form of the bar, and demanding a pit be opened up throughout every song.

Grunge metal band LOWLIVES are the phoenix that has arisen from the ashes of the member’s previous bands The Defiled, No Devotion and Lostprophets, staging their latest single ‘Hey You’ and a reorder of their 4-track EP ‘Burn Forever.’ Looking naturally comfortable in their new found band, the ease in their ferocity found LOWLIVES winning over a previously stagnant crowd.

Diving in at the deep end, New Years Day ripped into their set with the viciously confrontational ‘Come For Me’ off the latest album, accompanied by other singles ‘Shut Up’ and the more pop orientated track ‘Skeletons.’ The majority of the set list however had a heavy sprinkling of older cult favourites ‘I’m About To Break You,’ ‘Kill or Be Killed,’ and ‘Defame Me,’ by which point band members proceeded to play from within the crowd, including an injured Nikki Misery against Ash’s wishes.

Trading in her red and black hair for white and black, much to the half-head fans’ dismay, didn’t stop Costello from paying homage to her Harley Quinn inspired aesthetic with a cover of Kehlani’s ‘Gangsta,’ which brought a slow-paced break to the shows initial onslaught. A sacrifice was offered up to the metal gods in Pantera, after which fans expressed their disappointment when they found out it would be a cover of ‘Fucking Hostile’, and not a goat or virgin sacrifice, to the relief of a tall embarrassed lad in the front row.

The night was a short and sweet 40 minute headline set, concluded with a joyous rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to commemorate Ash’s birthday. For her only wish, she stated she’d love for the front of the crowd to swap with the back, which was not granted as fans fought to protect their precious spaces. An encore of ‘Angel Eyes’ brought the show to a brisk close, if only to