Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
It’s a truly pleasant springtime evening, Bristol’s bustling crowds bask in wall-to-wall sunshine, and amidst these busy scenes the highly creative Finnish metalliferous masked impresario Mr. Lordi has careered into town with his 110% kerosene fuelled rock-a-lypse in tow. Demons and trolls, stampeding from their Northern lands, swirl madly in an infernal kaleidoscopic tornado as lightning kinetics run amok.
Formed somewhere along a timeline bracketed by Kiss and Alice Cooper at the historical end and Dominum at the latter Mr. Lordi has been defying traditional conventions for over thirty years. In some ways this genial Scandinavian narrative has paved the way for the unleashing of the likes of Ghost and Powerwolf. Suffice to say there’s far, far more to this hard-rocking Scandinavian than that Eurovision Song Contest success nearly twenty years ago.
There’s a tangible hub-hub about the city, accompanying the really pleasant warm airs, with entertainment beckoning, seemingly, at every corner. Is it really a Wednesday? Perhaps it’s the new Saturday, it certainly feels that way! Either way the ‘battle’ for a parking space is a realistic barometer of the busyness that lies ahead.
Over at The Beacon Kula Shaker and Ocean Colour Scene are recreating the heady Britpop days of the mid-90s whilst there’s a deeply reminiscing crowd gathering at the iconic doors of the Hippodrome for the touring version of Tina Turner – The Musical. Youthful singer-songwriter Alessi Rose and pop-rockers Daydreamers are drawing a more youthful crowd at the O2 and Rough Trade respectively.
Having wound their way through Finland, Poland and the Netherlands tonight is the last night of the UK leg before the underworldly shenanigans of ‘The First Deadition’ of the ‘Limited Tour’ returns across the Channel to mainland Europe. The opening manoeuvres of the night belong to Italian shock metallers Sick N’ Beautiful, with their sci-fi horror themes running through their considered selections of costume, make-up, and masks they’re the perfect foil for Lordi themselves. In fact, I wonder if they are actually his lordship’s spawn. Conceptualize Kiss rocking out in an Alien meets Mad Max mash-up and you’re on the correct debauched path.
An ungodly metronome ticks ominously as drummer Evey, tucked over on stage left, settles in behind her kit. The remainder of the band assemble with bassist Big Daddy Ray, the main engaging spearhead alongside vocalist Herma, right into the crowd’s collective face from the very off. There’s a healthy balance across the ranks with twin seven-stringers Nemes and LOrl remaining enigmatic throughout permitting their conflagrant fretwork to do their talking.
Launching breakneck into the opening raging torrent of ‘(Human) Is Overrated’. Hauled in from their forthcoming fourth studio album ‘Horror Vacui’ its pulverisation is daubed with meaty touches Rob Zombie would be rightfully proud of. Herma’s powering vocals, with slight parallels with Lena Scissorhands (Infected Rain), enthral in bucketloads whilst out stage left, somewhat isolated in visual terms, guitarist Nemes raises the terrestrial heat with a scorching solo.
I immediately understand why our good friend Zed has rightfully raved about this compelling outfit in the intervening two years since S N’ B shook up the nearby Thekla whilst on tour with South of Salem and Wednesday 13. This is a band unlike others, with pounding bass combined with a rat-a-tat percussive ‘Tonight We Go To War’ registers atop the Richter scale. This is proper seismics unlike the plague of ‘tremors’ that have been, recently on social medias, overhyped by UK media.
We are cordially invited to pray to the ‘God Of Thunder’ as S N’ B despatch a snarling, crepuscular version that goes right for the jugular. Announcing that their alien lasers wouldn’t be powered up for reasons of crowd safety Herma is met with a good-natured round of SWX boos. Barely drawing a breath, the quintet power through signature track ‘Drop It To The B’, tearing the ether asunder an underpinning hardcore dance beat adds to the already prominent levels of freneticism.
A couple more from ‘Horror Vacui’ batter down the door. Bathed in red light and with a heavy Sisters of Mercy atmospheric along with an essence of symphonic metal ‘Raise The Dragon’ stampedes. Big Daddy Ray asserts “You’re not here to fit in, you’re here to stand out!” It’s a mantra worth remembering and one that Sick N’ Beautiful applies with relish. ‘Hate Manifesto’ and its head-thumping groove is at once edible yet savage.
Shaking his collection of shrunken skulls Big Daddy enquires “Are you ready for the Queen of the Thunder Tribe?” as the occultic is untethered with ‘New Witch 666’ ramping up proceedings. Its partner off the debut ‘Hell Over Hell’ album ‘Makin’ Angels’ injects a heads-down rolling thunder as the sirens tempt the unwary upon their duplicitous rocks with one last throw of the metallic dice. It’s a tactic that has worked, colour me and a substantial percentage of SWX suitably impressed.
Mr. Lordi’s Kiss-drenched inspirations are well documented. “I would be stupid to deny that KISS is the main influence for me personally. We wouldn’t be doing this interview right now without the influence of KISS on me.” he once commented during a 2020 interview with Rock and Roll Garage website.
The stage lights flicker into life and flash frantically as the Kiss classic ‘God Of Thunder’ pulses through the venue’s PA for a second time this evening. Written by Paul Stanley and sung by Gene Simmons the track’s bombastic larger than life persona suits Lordi to an absolute tee. In a 2016 interview with Louder Sound website Mr. Lordi illuminated upon ‘Destroyer’ “It was the first Kiss album I owned.” Furthering “It has so much nostalgia for me. It has ‘God Of Thunder’ – my all-time favourite song from Kiss; one of my favourite songs, period.” No more comment is required.
The US hard rockers morph into the second part of the intro sequence with ‘SCG XIX The Hexecutioners’ heralding “The monster squad: a diabolical quintet of unearthly entities.” The theatrical tone is set with clock approaching the stroke of midnight; heavy ominous footsteps echo on wooden flooring. Scintillating keys, delivered by Hella, dance the merry jig of the firefly afore the pounding drums of Mana join the affray. Bassist Hiisi and guitarist Kone, reptilian arctic troll and Borg-infused character respectively, hit centre-stage.
With his hard-rocking charges now notching through the metaphorical gearings all that remains is for the appearance of Mr. Lordi himself. Through the central arch and curtains this historic notary emerges in a vaudevillian manner befitting of rock n’ roll royalty. Coruscant and effervescent the thundering AOR of ‘Legends Are Made Of Clichés’ transports us to a mythical realm. All it takes is for Lordi to unfurl a single clawed digit and SWX is under his efficacious incantation.
Fists pump the air from the avalanching commencement of ‘Girls Go Chopping’ with Mr. Lordi’s renown masterful control of the horde transmitted via a raised axe. Playfully dismissing the cheers, he succinctly expresses his gratitude with a swift “Thank you.” It’s pure pantomime and goes down a total storm.
Whether tonight is show number 11 or 12 Lordi and Hiisi aren’t totally sure but introducing the next track it’s a surefire thing that we know the “Song about daddy”. The modern-day glam rock of ‘Who’s Your Daddy?’ is gloriously snagged on a Mötley Crüe riff. Its infections are on a pandemic high level with Mr. Lordi, mid-track, enquiring “Bristol who’s your motherfucking daddy?”
The first of several solos is flipped into the mix with Mana’s kit taking on a Knightrider feel with spinning ‘wheels’ and the trademark KITT flashing red lights. Often solos can be isolating passages of time but not with Lordi as this and the subsequent ones there’s a blending with proceedings and a sensation of enhancement.
Heavy as hell riffing brings in ‘Beast of Both Worlds’ with its hellbound Sabbath-ish stampede. Buoyantly wielding a ‘chainsaw’ Lordi revels in dampening members of the front rows; what would normally be considered outlandish and out-of-place is well within the context of the evening. Doom laden and with a dash of Helloween ‘The Riff’ plunges into the obsidian abyss.
Some deep cuts are being tried out on this tour and Lordi banters with his crew as they bring out aide de memoires for his lyrical assistance. “He’s old and old people like the attention” he jovially mocks one silver-haired chap. With a barbed wire delivery combined with the AOR acumen of The Night Flight Orchestra ‘Girl In A Suitcase’ claws the night airs ripping them apart with razor-sharp talons.
Contagion levels rise higher and higher as Hella, indulging in a Harley Quinn inspired outfit, takes the keys into the spotlight as chill North wind sweeps cutting into the bone icing the marrow within. Woven into the fabric of the performance it’s a moving moment that I can’t quite explain. There isn’t the time for questioning or deep thought as the Judas Priest drenched strains of ‘Syntax Terror’ career; fulminating drums provide the foundations to support a band in full howl.
The Kiss connections continue as Mr. Lordi muses upon the desire for a cigarette. Co-written with Bruce Kulick ‘Call Off The Wedding’ has emotions running high as guitarist Kone quite literally lights up. Receiving a ‘software update’ he slips into his solo with aplomb, blistering bluesy fretwork comes as a pleasant surprise.
The lightning strike of ‘Retro Polis’ ignites before a new-to-me trick is employed in the fluorescent monster that is ‘Hellizabeth’. The first moments of the track are sliced into a line-by-line despatch; a neat touch that is simple yet effective and most engaging. Hiisi’s slinky groove of a bass solo scales a pinnacle that affords the sight of further, even higher, peaks ahead.
The marching fracas of ‘Blood Red Sandman’ evokes ghostly apparitions with earthquaking tremors of great magnitude. The opulent theatrics of ‘Devil Is A Loser’ ramps things even higher. Nitrous injected the fusion is nuclear in proportions. Lordi spreads his leathery demon wings, the call of the underworld. “Is that a yes?” asks Mr. Lordi of the response to his questioning of whether SWX possesses the energy for more.
Unified the horde chant for more and the high-paced AOR of ‘Would You Love A Monsterman?’ is the result. It’s a dramatic number I can easily imagine Meatloaf, in his prime, belting out. Hella takes a bit of convincing to bring her keys to life for that song. We all know what should be coming but further exuberant dynamics are coaxed from the SWX crowd before we are swept along into the concluding chapter of the evening.
With its Mötley Crüe based foundation the emphatic sonic boom of ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ shatters brick and glass in a mile wide radius. It’s party-time, to the victor the spoils. SWX erupts volcanically with the predicted force of the Yellowstone magma chambers. It’s no coincidence that the last four tracks of the set are amongst the most streamed of this enthralling artist. It’s a carefully and considered curation of some of the finest theatrical monster-horror rock known to humankind.
A collective bow is taken as ‘Collectable’ outros the performance before Kiss anthem ‘God Gave Rock n’ Roll To You’ gets us all singing along for one final time as we stride out into the Bristol night. Haste ye back Lordi and Sick N’ Beautiful!
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
