Live Review: Svalbard - Birmingham
20th November 2021
Support: Heriot
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
One of the few good things to come out of the 18 month pandemic hell has been the greater exposure our home grown talent has received. As international travel restrictions continued despite the country “opening up again” it gave some bands an opportunity in the spotlight.
Take our headliners tonight as an example. With a Bloodstock line up of 99% British bands, Svalbard played on the festivals main stage to a crowd of 20,000 people, a lot of whom would not have heard or seen the band before. Similarly just two weeks ago at Damnation Festival, which also had a British heavy line up, they played two sets to packed rooms full of thousands of people. Svalbard have always been an awesome band and we always knew it, but now a lot more people know it too!
Thus the band head into this U.K. tour with one hell of a lot of momentum behind them and a fan base growing at an exponential rate.
Support for the evening comes from Herriot, whose own stock is growing rapidly and come 2022 you will hear a lot about this band! From the off this outfit produce an assault on the assembled crowd. The dual vocals add a nice dynamic, the often haunting styling of birthday girl Deb melding with the outright aggression of Jake is a nice feature to the bands sound. The stage at the Asylum 2 does not leave much room for movement, but the tight confines allow the band to shine and the Birmingham crowd lap it up.
Getting to Birmingham for the first night of the tour proved troublesome for Svalbard with a dreaded van breakdown. As Heriot leave the stage and clear down, Svalbard have still not arrived in the UK's second city, leaving an awkward moment for the sound guy who was able to sound check the mic’s in front of an expectant crowd, but alas he could progress no further.
As the clock strike's 9 the band arrive and the quickest full load in, set up, sound check you've ever seen commences. Whilst the stresses of todays situation are obvious, the band breeze through and are ready to go within minutes.
The atmospheric intro suffixed by the question "When I Die, Will I get Better?" sets the tone as the band launch into 'Open Wound' taken from their latest album. The majestic guitar tones draw the crowd in, enveloping them in a sonic soundscape that you need to experience live to appreciate. The dual vocals creating a pincer movement, keeping you mesmerised and enthralled in equal measure. This leads into the poignant 'Revenge Porn', which delivers a theme all too common in todays society, yet a message important for all to hear.
As Serena addresses the crowd she apologises for their late arrival, but really there is no need. Given the challenges thrown at the band today, they should be commended for pushing on to the venue and ensuring the show went ahead.
The bands recent performances at A Night of Salvation and Damnation Festival have proven just how good they are on the bigger stage. Tonight in this very intimate setting they show that no matter what size of stage, they can fully engross an audience of any size into their performance.
As they close out the evening out with 'Click Bait' and 'Grayscale' the band can hold their heads high, having fought hard just to arrive at the venue tonight they have yet again put on an outstanding performance proving the future is bright for this outfit.
All Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
