On Stage at the London Astoria ~ Halloween 2002

Concert Review

Doors opened promptly at 1900 when fans who had circled the block for the hour and a half before rushed into fill the pit area of the venue and into the balcony as well. Many of the more serious gothic oriented dressed in the Halloween spirit. The first band played for just about 30 minutes, sufficient to give the sound system and lights a good check before the stage was set for Sentenced's performance. A clear favourite of many in attendance the band filled the house leaving nothing but breathing room downstairs or above. They played for just 45 minutes and returned for one encore after wild audience acclaim.

Image © Doralba Picerna 2002

Image © Doralba Picerna 2002

While the first band might have been an indicator for what would come next, it was clear by the second track of Sentenced set that this would not be just a heavy metal event; in fact it would be one where melody and harmony worked with the metal edges to delight fans of many related genres.

Lacuna Coil came to the stage shortly after 2100 introduced by a backing track for their first number. Once drummer Cristiano Mozzati was comfortably in position, he was joined by Cristiano Migliore (guitars), Marco Emanuele Biazzi (guitars) and Marco Coti Zelati (bass). Male lead vocalist Andrea Ferro joined and the music began.

The audience went wild when stunning female lead singer Cristina Scabbia came to the stage and the band's sound reached full splendour. While Lacuna Coil's music means many things to their audience, Lacuna Coil is today the only opportunity to hear Cristina Scabbia sing with a band that provides rich backing instrumentals to support her vast range and powerful voice.

Cristiano Migliore Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Cristina Scabbia Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Cristina wore the outfit used in her latest studio shots, some of which we have used within the body of this review. All of the performers were laden in some form of skirt which gave a uniform look to the band. Long hair swaying with the music rhythmic head pounding reminded everyone of Lacuna Coil's metal roots. Cristina remained the focal point of the stage show with singing and stage performance drawing attention of even the least interested fans. We were intrigued by her American (versus Italian) accent when introducing material or joking with other band members and the audience.

Image © Doralba Picerna 2002

Image © Doralba Picerna 2002

London's audience demonstrated a sincere familiarity with Lacuna Coil's music at the gig singing along, mouthing the words and generally rocking with the material. The band's hour long set was drawn from their latest album Comalies (review)--pronounced "comma-lies" not "comma-lees"--as well as former album Unleashed Memories (feature) and one selection from their debut album Lacuna Coil.

The band do not tour with keyboards and vocal layers are equally hard to reproduce on stage. So backing tracks were used to produce near-studio quality depth to several of the numbers. Lighting perfectly accentuated the music. Engineering across the board was superb.

Marco Emanuele Biazzi Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Cristina Scabbia Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Although their performance lasted only a few minutes over an hour, Lacuna Coil played many of our favourites including "Swamped" and "Heaven's A Lie" from the new album. We loved the way Cristina's backing vocal swept up and then jumped over Andrea's as she takes the lead in "Swamped." While many are drawn to Cristina's stunning lead vocals, others are attracted to the aggressive but not grunting vocal power of Andrea Ferro.

Guitar work in the live performance is extremely tight and melodic, even with the heavy metal influences and head banging. The mysterious skip from the album version of "Aeon" was faithfully reproduced when the band returned to play after a quick break.

Marco Coti Zelati Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Cristina Scabbia Image © Rudy De Doncker 2002

Equally impressive was the live treatment of "Daylight Dancer," a track with a fair bit of keyboard work on the studio album and also the Italian "Senzafine," which brought a tremendous audience reaction. As stunning as the more powerful metal-edged tracks were, the audience appeared equally delighted with the gentler "The Ghost Woman And The Hunter" and "Comalies."

We especially enjoyed the dynamic rocker "Unspoken." And while each of the band members were given an opportunity to demonstrate their strength and virtuousity during the show, Cristina Scabbia's stunning vocal work and well performed stagecraft were the clear highlights of the band's performance.