Nightwish - London Review

Over the past couple of weeks I have been an honorary resident of London, as three concerts within the space of two weeks have taken me back and forth between the capital rather regularly. It has been great to see so many great gigs, although it has been rather tiring - but the multiple trips were definitely worth it. Just over a week ago I saw Freedom Call put on a great show at the Camden Underworld - and this past Friday I went over to Hammersmith to catch Opeth deliver a stunning, career-spanning set which only further deepened my appreciation of the Swedish band. The final of this recent London trilogy came last night, though, as I headed back to London and up to the OVO Arena in Wembley to catch the Finnish symphonic metal legends play a bombastic show to a packed house - and demonstrating why they are as big and as popular as they are in the process. This was the band's third appearance at the venue, and the regularity with which they are able to pull large crowds here in the UK speaks to their appeal. I was in attendance when Nightwish first headlined the Wembley Arena back in 2015. That year it was the band's only UK show, and it sold out ahead of time. It ranks as probably the best Nightwish show that I have seen to date, and it felt like a real event - with the band stepping up to the next level in the process. Since then, though, Nightwish packing out the Wembley Arena has become par for the course. It is great to see the band so popular, and it is also great that a handful of melodic European metal bands are genuine arena fillers here in the UK now. Nightwish were probably the first, paving the way for others, and I cannot see that status changing anytime soon - especially given how full the venue was last night. They also played the venue in 2018, but I opted for the Birmingham show of that tour. The Birmingham show was also in an arena, but it was smaller and not as busy as Wembley had been in 2015. The show still attracted a large crowd, though, showing that they could also do the business outside of London. As I type this, the band's latest Birmingham show will be underway - and I expect that it will have attracted another similar-sized crowd to that excellent show back in 2018. Turning back to last night, though, the Wembley show was the band's first concert in the UK since releasing the Human. :II: Nature. album back in 2020. As with many of the concerts that I have been to recently, this show was originally supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed a handful of times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great when yesterday finally rolled around, then, as Nightwish are one of my favourite bands, but I have to say that I thought the show might end up being postponed again. This is because, only a month or so ago, the band's frontwoman Floor Jansen announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer - and was going in for surgery imminently. The surgery went well and the cancer was caught early enough for the procedure to the relatively minor, but I assumed that she would need some time to recuperate. This was not the case though, and the tour rolled on as planned with Jansen deemed fit enough to do so.

As hinted at earlier, the venue was full throughout the night - but whilst the large crowd gathered those who turned up early were treated to a couple of support acts before Nightwish took to the stage. Up first were the Finnish six-piece industrial metal act Turmion Kätilöt, who only had around 25 minutes to play with. Much of the band's material is in Finnish, although their first song was sung in English, and stylistically they reminded me somewhat of Rammstein - although there was a much bigger focus on electronica, synths, and big disco beats. This, mixed with metal riffing, certainly made for a fun sound, but it was also somewhat limiting in my opinion. After hearing a couple of songs by the band, everything did rather start to sound the same. As with many bands that rely on a big synth presence, too, there was little excitement to be gained from the guitar playing. The riffing throughout was pretty one-dimensional, and basically just provided a rhythm for the synths and big beats to sit on top of. Vocally, the band had two frontmen - who essentially just traded vocal lines back and forth during each song. For me, their voices were extremely similar, too. I am not sure what having two singers really added to the sound, as I felt that either one of them could have likely handled all of the vocals themselves and the songs would have essentially sounded the same. Multiple vocalists can work well when all of the singers have different voices, but the two singers in Turmion Kätilöt sounded essentially the same to me - which rather lessened their overall impact. Despite my criticisms of the band, though, there were clearly a few fans of theirs in attendance. Whilst they were not exactly greeted like old friends, they did receive a decent reaction throughout their set - and there were a few around me singing along. I did not really dislike the band, either, I just think that their sort of music is not really for me. I am generally not a big fan of the Rammstein-esque sound, and there was not enough variety to keep me personally invested throughout. It is always good to experience something new, though, and it is safe to say that I have not really experienced a band like Turmion Kätilöt live before - so this combined with the short length of their set meant that they did not outstay their welcome.

The main support act was Beast in Black, a Finnish five-piece power metal act who have been making quite a name for themselves of late. They also supported Nightwish back in 2018, but I was looking forward to seeing them live again. This was my fourth time seeing Beast in Black live, and each time they have been great - with last night's showing being no exception. With three albums and 45 minutes to play with, they opted to deliver a nine-song set that featured three songs from each album. Whilst I would have preferred to hear a couple more from last year's excellent Dark Connection, the even split made sense given that many in the crowd may not have been familiar with the band's work - and the setlist chosen highlighted all of the band's sides, from fast and heavy to upbeat and poppy. The cinematic Blade Runner from the latest album kicked things off, but it was perhaps the sleek, synth-heavy From Hell with Love which really got the crowd going. The poppier side of the band always seems to be their most popular, but I also really like it when they get heavy - as their self-titled song then proved. The band's driving metal songs are often some of my favourites, and the big riffing of guitarists Anton Kabanen and Kasperi Heikkinen drove the song whilst frontman Yannis Papadopoulos screamed and crooned his way atop the riffs. Kabanen is no vocal slouch either, often taking parts of each chorus with his rougher voice - and the interplay between him and Papadopoulos helped Beast in Black to feel and sound heavier. Sometimes heaviness is not what the band want, though, as singles like Sweet True Lies and Moonlight Rendezvous showed. The former in particular really went down well with the crowd, and it was the song that essentially established the band's 1980s credentials after a pretty heavy overall debut album. It is a song that works really well live, though, thanks to its huge chorus, and Moonlight Rendezvous had a similar effect too - with its lengthy intro allowing for a bit of dancing and movement in the crowd. Perhaps the apex of this pop feel, though, was One Night in Tokyo - which is arguably the band's cheesiest tune yet. It even stands out on the poppy Dark Connection, but it came across well live despite its reliance on big synth hooks - and Heikkinen added a metal edge via his shredding solo. By this point, though, there was only time for a couple more - so the band headed back to their debut album for the last two numbers. The big single Blind and Frozen saw plenty of singing from the crowd, many of whom were clearly familiar with the band after all, whilst it was left to the heavier End of the World to bring things to a close. The track has always acted as a closer, and its energy makes it a strong candidate for that role. It certainly whipped the crowd up one last time before Nightwish's set, and the large cheers later showed that the band had done their job. The setlist was:

Blade Runner

From Hell with Love

Beast in Black

Sweet True Lies

Die by the Blade

Moonlight Rendezvous

One Night in Tokyo

Blind and Frozen

End of the World

Half an hour after Beast in Black's set, the curtain which had been lowered to cover the stage dropped and Nightwish's 90 minute set kicked off with a bang. 90 minutes is on the short side for Nightwish, even compared to their recent South American tour, but I am assuming that the constraint was there to support Jansen - and ensure that she could still perform at her best without over-exerting herself. Assuming that this was indeed the reason for the shorter set then I totally understand the decision, even if it meant that a few of the recently played relative deeper cuts which I was looking forward to hearing had been dropped. That being said, though, the band still packed their 90 minutes on stage with all the bombast which a Nightwish show is known for - and it was great to hear a number of the newer songs live alongside some older favourites. Unlike some of the bands whom have also made the transition, Nightwish's stage show is built for arenas. That side of things was as good as ever - with plenty of pyro throughout, as well as big screens and a great light show. As mentioned, the show got off to a bang. Instead of a gentle symphonic intro, the sounds that open the latest album were played over the PA - to which drummer Kai Hahto soon started to drum along to. His drumming got busier, meaning that the show essentially kicked off with a drum solo, but Noise soon got underway and the show started proper. From the off, the sound was great - meaning that everything could be heard clearly. Jansen's voice was always high in the mix, and the various instruments played by multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley had the desired effect. Following the departure of Marko Hietala, too, Donockley now has a more prominent role in the band vocally. New bassist Jukka Koskinen prowled the stage, but lacked Hietala's cutting presence. I must admit that I did miss Hietala, especially during the heavier portions of the set - but Donockley handled his vocal parts well despite having a much softer voice. In general, though, the set shied away from songs that prominently featured Hietala. The poppy Storytime showed that Jansen was still at the top of her game despite her recent health concerns, whilst the heavier Tribal again showcased the drumming of Hahto as well as the rhythmic bass playing Koskinen. Some other recent favourites had been retained, too, such as the slightly folky Élan. From Donockley's whistle melodies to the whimsical chorus, the song always goes down well live - and it elicited a strong reaction before the band looked to past. With the band's last tour focusing on older songs, this tour was very much a more up-to-date affair, but Sleeping Sun was pulled out of the vaults. I had not seen the band play the song live before, and the gorgeous ballad was a real treat - with both Emppu Vuorinen (guitar) and Donockley teaming up for the short, yet melodic, centrepiece guitar solo.

Following that moment of respite it was time for something heavier again, and Dark Chest of Wonders proved to be just that. The riffy song has always been a live favourite, and it kicked the set into the next gear before a handful of songs were played which, in one way or another, allowed the band to showcase their gentler side. The true folk of Harvest allowed Donockley to shine vocally, with Jansen providing harmonies. In fact the whole song is a vehicle of his talents, with the uilleann pipes ringing through the venue during the instrumental section - and the instrument also drove the jig-like I Want My Tears Back. This is another live favourite, and Donockley handled Hietala's vocal parts admirably - whilst also shining during the upbeat instrumental mid-section. The poppy Nemo then followed, which allowed for a big sing-a-long, but one of the night's unexpected highlights then came in the form of How's the Heart?. The song has never been one of my favourite cuts from the latest album, but live it was rearranged into an acoustic version which left Jansen and Donockley alone on stage. Jansen sung the track, with Donockley backing her on the acoustic guitar - and the simplicity of the track really came alive in this arrangement. Given the bombast and complexity of Nightwish's music, this simple acoustic number really allowed Tuomas Holopainen's (keyboards) songwriting to shine - and he was not even stage for the vast majority of the song! He has often said that many of the band's early songs were written around a campfire, and that vibe was perfectly recreated with How's the Heart?. By this point, though, the home straight was approaching - but there was still plenty more music to come. The last part of the set upped the heaviness overall, though, and the dramatic Shoemaker highlighted why it is one of the latest album's best cuts with its dancing keyboard lines and a spinetingling closing operatic vocal from Jansen. Last Ride of the Day then provided some great hard-driving metal to whip the crowd up into a frenzy before the two epic closing numbers brought the set to an end. Up first was Ghost Love Score, which has always been a vocal showcase. Jansen nailed it as always, and it was lapped up by the large crowd. In truth, I am of the view that the song is probably due a bit of a rest, as it has been ever-present in the set for years at this point - but it always goes down well live. For me, though, it was surpassed by a masterful version of The Greatest Show on Earth. In some ways I am surprised that the lengthy track is still in the set, but I have loved hearing it live since its release - and I felt no different last night. The closing section always really hits the spot, and proved once again to be a big crowd participation moment - whilst the lengthy atmospheric intro highlighted the playing of both Holopainen and Donockley. It brought the set to a masterful end, and the band then took their bows to a closing piece of music from the latest album. The setlist was:

Noise

Storytime

Tribal

Élan

Sleeping Sun

Dark Chest of Wonders

Harvest

I Want My Tears Back

Nemo

How's the Heart?

Shoemaker

Last Ride of the Day

Ghost Love Score

The Greatest Show on Earth - Parts I-III

All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World - Part VIII: Ad Astra

Despite the shorter length, Nightwish still put on a masterful showing in London last night. I am not sure that they are capable of delivering anything other than something special, and it was great hearing quite a few songs live for the first time - including five from the latest album. The 2015 show will likely never be topped, due to how it saw the band successfully transition to being an arena act here in the UK, but each Nightwish show I have been to since was special - including last night. They are a band that I will always make the effort to see each time they return, and I imagine that next time they come back they will have a new album in tow - as Holopainen has started to make reference to writing again now that they have managed to get much of the Human. :II: Nature. tour done following the numerous delays.