Live Review: Karnivool - O2 Institute, Birmingham
10th February 2023
Support: The Ocean Collective
Words & Photos: Damian John
Originally penned for 2021 Karnivool are finally back on The Regeneration Tour after having several shows postponed due to the global pandemic. Opting for a quality over quantity approach, they're joined by The Ocean Collective who have been the sole support act for both the UK and European shows. Tonight also happens to be the last night of the tour so we're bound to be in for something special, I'm sure we will be.
The Ocean Collective take the stage with a soft orange glow pulsating behind them whilst vocalist Loïc Rossetti walks to the back, calmly dancing to the initial peaceful tones of ‘Triassic’, guitarist Robin Staps is bathed in a green spotlight circling from behind. Late last year they shared a bill alongside LLNN and I can see why considering they share many of the same elements; beautiful instrumental passages, hypnotic melodies and crushing guitars creating monstrous walls of sound.
Synchronising their performance to heavy strobe lighting, their stage show is almost uncomfortable at times with blinding light spilling from the stage and unfortunately let down by the O2 Institutes acoustics which tends to favour the lower register. For such an imposing band, Loïc seems to have a joyful attitude, often dancing between vocal passages before headbanging to the point where his head is just skimming off the stage itself. Delivering an unbelievably tight, powerful set we move onto our headliners for the night....
Making my way to the front, the crowd has noticeably thickened as countless people have packed themselves into the venue all pushing to the front. Opening with ‘C.O.T.E’ straight into ‘All It Takes’ we get a reminder of what we've been missing for all this time. Karnivool are on fire, Ian Kenny’s vocals soar never missing a note particularly during the fan pleaser ‘Goliath’ which sees the crowd all singing along to the chorus hooked on every word. ‘Simple Boy’ goes down a treat also showcasing Ian Kenny’s impressive vocal abilities and his gentle vocal style. Guitarist Mark Hosking apologises for how long it's been since they last played the UK but given their performance so far, I think I can let them off.
Before the show I had the opportunity to speak to a few fans and it seems that a large number of people made the decision to travel across the UK to catch them on multiple dates. One group of diehards I’d spoken to had gone all the way up to Glasgow and Manchester to get their fill before watching Karnivool’s final UK performance in Birmingham. Their light show compliments their music perfectly, often bathed in a warm glow with panels elevated to different levels at either side of the drum kit. For the first time on this UK tour, ‘Roquefort’ is our closer for the night before ultimately ending with the encore: ‘Alpha Omega’ into ‘New Day’ with Ian apologising if we’ve missed our last bus home. Karnivool put on an incredible set and I can only hope the next time they return to our little island will be sooner rather than later.
All photo credits: Damian John Photography
