Blaze Bayley - London Review

Since live music restarted in earnest in 2021 following the relaxing of the COVID-19 lockdowns I have not seen anyone live more times than Blaze Bayley. Prior to the pandemic, I had seen the Wolfsbane and former Iron Maiden frontman three times as a solo act and twice with Wolfsbane - but over the past couple of years I have seen him a further four times in relatively quick succession. One of these occasions saw him fronting Wolfsbane, but three of the shows were solo outings - with the most recent of which coming this past Saturday at The Underworld in Camden. Funnily enough, the last time I saw Bayley as a solo artist was in 2021 at the same venue - and the overall situation was also mirrored. Back in 2021, I went to Bayley's London show as Opeth had postponed their planned show in the city. I had not planned to travel to see him, as I went to see him five minutes from my house in Plymouth as part of the same tour - but it made sense to also see him in London when Opeth moved their show. I was not planning to see him at all on this current 2023, either, as no local shows were announced - but when Lamb of God had to postpone their planned show at the O2 Academy in Brixton due to the venue still being closed, the opportunity to see Bayley again presented itself. I was more than happy to snap up a ticket to do so - as Bayley's recent live solo outings have been excellent. I saw him a couple of times back in 2007/2008 - but then did not see him again as a solo act until 2019. The 2019 show and the two in 2021 were excellent - so I was happy to get to attend one of the 2023 shows after the initial disappointment of the tour coming nowhere near the South West. The Underworld is always a great place to see live metal, too. It is one of those venues that always seems to have a real buzz around it - and there is usually a great atmosphere, even if the turnout is not exactly great. Bayley certainly did not have trouble pulling a crowd, though. I remember the 2021 show at the same venue being pretty busy, and it was the same this past weekend. He may not be a household name, but his fanbase is extremely loyal - and it is very rare for one of his solo shows, or a Wolfsbane gig, to feel flat. As a frontman, he gets the best out of a crowd - and his current band is tight and have been with him for a while. He is also very down to earth, and always does free 'Meet and Greets' at his shows. This meant that when the venue opened its doors at 6pm, he was sat at the merch table ready to sign autographs and take pictures. He has signed quite a lot of things for me over the years, so I did not queue to meet him this time, but he sat there for around 45 minutes (i.e. until the support band went on) signing everything put in front of him and taking lots of selfies. The support band, Absolva, who also double as Bayley's band, were also hanging around at the merch table, too. I had their last few albums, so I decided to pick up one of their older ones - which they duly signed. Despite coming to Absolva via Bayley (although I did see Fury UK, which was essentially baby Absolva a few times as a support act many years ago) I have become quite a fan of their recent work - so I also picked up one of their tour shirts given that it was under half the price that lots of bands are currently charging for one!

As mentioned, Absolva went on around 45 minutes after the venue opened. Given that them and Bayley essentially come as a pair these days - it makes sense that they are essentially his ever-present support act. If you are not an Absolva fan this might be frustrating - but I like them quite a bit, and I was looking forward to seeing them again following the release of the strong Fire in the Sky album last year. They had around an hour to play with, which meant that the band could really get stuck in - and they pulled quite a few different songs out of the vaults. This meant that the setlist was quite different from the 2021 shows, with four songs from Fire in the Sky being part of an 11-song set. They opened with a couple of old ones in Flames of Justice and Anthems to the Dead - but it was the third track, the anthemic Never a Good Day to Die, which was the first real highlight. It has been one of my favourite Absolva songs for a while thanks to its huge chorus, sung proudly by Chris Appleton (vocals/guitar), as well as the great Iron Maiden-esque guitar harmonies throughout. I was also interested to see that Luke Appleton (guitar/vocals) had more time in the spotlight this time around. Previously he largely stuck to rhythm guitar, with the occasional lead break, but the lead guitar and solo duties seemed more evenly split between the two brothers this time. I do not know if this was just down to the songs which the band selected to play - or whether a conscious decision has been made to increase Luke's overall role. The change worked well, though, as it allowed for some excellent guitar back-and-forth between the two. Many of the songs, particularly the newer ones and those from the band's debut album, included lengthy solo sections which featured both players - and this really upped the overall excitement in my opinion. This is not to take anything away from Chris, who is a fantastic guitarist, but Luke has a slightly different, yet complimentary, style - and the interplay between the two made for some ferocious moments. Elsewhere, though, it was riffy songwriting that carried the set. Shout-a-longs like Stand Your Ground and Defiance certainly saw plenty of singing from the large crowd, whilst the somewhat lengthier and more dynamic Historic Year showcased a slightly progressive flair. It was clear that Bayley's fans have embraced Absolva, and the reception which they received was stronger than average for a support band. This was particularly evident towards the end of show, which again focused on more anthemic pieces. The powerful Code Red went down nicely, but for me the overall highlight was the excellent From Beyond the Light - which included some of the most intense guitar playing of the night. Both Appleton brothers shredded hard during the lengthy instrumental section - and Absolva's set came to a powerful end as a result. The setlist was:

Flames of Justice

Anthems to the Dead

Never a Good Day to Die

Side by Side

Stand Your Ground

Historic Year

Defiance

Fire in the Sky

Code Red

Refuse to Die

From Beyond the Light

Half an hour or so following Absolva's set, the same four musicians walked back out onto the stage - but this time they were followed by Bayley, and the five soon launched into the groove-laden and hard rocking 18 Flights, from Bayley's 2021 release War Within Me. No big deal was made of this throughout the show, but all 10 songs from the album were actually featured in the set. A few songs from the Blaze band days and a couple of Iron Maiden favourites rounded out the set - but it was great that the night was such a forward-looking one. War Within Me is a great album, and it really showcases the great work that Bayley and the Absolva guys have been doing since getting together in around 2014. 18 Flights worked really well as an opener, with Bayley in fine voice throughout, and the band then moved straight onto the faster-paced 303. The crowd reacted well to this opening one-two punch, and the atmosphere was electric from the off. The songs from the latest album were scattered throughout the set, so to keep the fast-paced vibe going it was time for the oldie Ten Seconds to be dusted off. It was one of three songs from 2004's Blood & Belief to be played. The album has recently been reissued, so I imagine that Bayley wanted to bring some of its songs out of the vaults - with Ten Seconds keeping everyone rocking before the more mid-paced Warrior and the pseudo-ballad Pull Yourself Up slowed things down somewhat. Pull Yourself Up is a song that very much characterises Bayley's personality, with his 'never say die' attitude on full display. He has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and many of the songs in the set showcased this. He has had to overcome a lot in his career, too, and this song felt like the personification of that. He also showcased his love of science, with his trilogy of songs about famous scientists. My favourite song of the three has always been The Power of Nikola Tesla, largely as it features a classic Bayley chorus. Bayley is at his best as a singer when he is really booming out a anthemic melody - and the chorus of The Power of Nikola Tesla is one of his recent best. Two more songs from Blood & Belief then followed, with the brooding Soundtrack of My Life and the more dynamic title track. I do not think that I had seen Bayley do either of these songs live before, so they were certainly treats - before the epic closing ballad from his latest album Every Storm Ends proved to be one of the night's most powerful moments thanks to Bayley's epic vocal prowess. Witches Night upped the pace again, before it was time to dip once more into the Blaze back catalogue for a stunning rendition of the lengthy Stare at the Sun. It proved to be a bit of a highlight as it often is, before a couple of Iron Maiden tracks really upped the tempo. Man on the Edge and Futureal are both ever-presents, but they always go down really well. I have always liked that Bayley rarely dines out on his time in Iron Maiden, but I do not think it would be right if that part of his career was not represented in the set. The songs always go down well, and it was no different this time, before the set then came to an end with War Within Me - with the thrashy newer song bringing the whole set full circle. The setlist was:

18 Flights

303

Ten Seconds [Blaze material]

Warrior

Pull Yourself Up

The Unstoppable Stephen Hawking

The Dream of Alan Turing

The Power of Nikola Tesla

Soundtrack of My Life [Blaze material]

Blood and Belief [Blaze material]

Every Storm Ends

Witches Night

Stare at the Sun [Blaze material]

Man on the Edge [Iron Maiden material]

Futureal [Iron Maiden material]

War Within Me

Given that this show was a relatively late addition to the schedule given Lamb of God's postponement, it turned into another extremely memorable night with Bayley and Absolva. Bayley always gives everything to each and every show that he does - and Saturday night in London was no different. Both of the sets played were great, and the large crowd lapped both up with glee. The merch desks looked pretty busy throughout the night, too, which was great to see. Given how busy Bayley has been recently I would not be surprised to see him take it easy for a bit following this lengthy tour and the upcoming Wolfsbane tour - but it would also not surprise me to see him back out again next year, and I will be there if he does.