Live Review: Ward XVI – Preston

Ending their unbroken string of fourteen dates – the Firebug in Leicester notwithstanding – theatrical maniacs, Ward XVI, bring the curtain down on their Id3ntity tour with this Halloween Homecoming bash at Preston’s Blitz venue.

Fresh off opening for Troops of Doom last week, local lads, Aphotic Sky have the honour of opening proceedings with a Protean approach to music; constantly shifting and blending styles give the band an always interesting sound. From hardcore energy to the - by their own admission - strangely off-kilter progression and fun-fair vibes, to raging beats and classic metal guitar work, the band appear to be relishing the larger stage of the Blitz, admittedly having to accommodate the headliner’s props throughout. Recently recruited rhythm guitarist, Mike Woolcock contributes some crunching riffs as vocals are delivered from various locations around the room, be that the stage, the front of house and even the top of the bar. It was a top-class effort from the lad, keeping the energy levels high and delivering a full-on performance; sadly, sound gremlins were at play, hampering the band’s obviously powerful delivery through a muddy mix.

Less complex but no less effective are touring partners Pulverise from across the hill in Yorkshire – but we won’t hold that against them tonight. The four-piece arrive in Preston full of energy and ready to party like it’s 1999 all over again; theirs is a sound built on infectious grooves and a big slab of modern nu metal. Dressed as the kind of nurse you’d expect to see on Halloween, singer Jojo is a thoroughly affable host, leading the band through bouncing beats and even encouraging the Friday night crowd into some rudimentary aerobics. She reminds us of our shared unity in the introduction to Liquorice Allsortz and organised the slowest wall of death imaginable, resulting in zero observable casualties.

Suck finds Ward XVI bassist, Wolfy, joining in on backing vocals, and the set ends with Little Voice, in which the band reiterate the need to be true to yourself and embrace who you are, something that seems increasingly difficult in the modern era. On the whole Pulverise deliver a positive message and have a load of fun doing so, which spills out into the crowd.

To borrow a title from Ministry: Everyday is Halloween for Ward XVI, it just so happens tonight it actually is. Taking their name from a ward at the area’s now-closed psychiatric hospital, Whittington, Ward XVI have spent their last three records exploring the history of an unnamed – and fictional – female serial killer, with the climax of the story coming in the shape this year’s Id3ntity album.

Theirs’ is a performative show rather than the usual concert experience, more in keeping with Alice Cooper or King Diamond, where the sets and the songs all contribute to the overarching narrative structure.

This Id3ntity tour sees Ward XVI performing in and around a large cage, in which we find vocalists Psychoberrie and Rico Rameres incarcerated at the beginning of the show. The big riffs and solid percussion of Regeneration, and singalong-friendly “welcome to the last day of your life” finds the crowd in good voice from the very start. Into the Wilderness comes with a Braveheart-style chant of ‘freedom’ and the increasing paranoia of the protagonist’s liberty. A big, gothic atmosphere haunts the end of the tune, leading into the nursey rhyme opening moments of What’s in the Box?

Ward XVI’s theatricality and creativity is evident throughout; a cardboard cut-out train makes its way across the stage at one point, with members of the band riding along, a coffin appears next to Wolfy, animating the end of the song, and Psychoberrie has more wardrobe changes than Taylor Swift.

Donning sunglasses and a coat for the rocking Macaberet, and even heading off to deliver part of the song from the top of the bar, as the crowd call for ‘debauchery’, it’s pure escapist musical theatre, condensed into a venue too small for the sheer scale of the spectacle. There’s a rocker-look bust out for the musically savage Blood is the New Black, in which soaring synths can be heard, and there’s a recognisable Maria Brink-vibe to At the Window’s medical experimentation and searing solo. Not forgetting the unorthodox uses of a saw during I Spit on Your Grave.

Darkest Desire find’s the protagonist seemingly haunted by her shadow, the Jungian notion of supressed and hidden personality, controlling her actions as she eviscerates a victim, pulling entrails from his torso in the great tradition of Alice himself. The vast and heartfelt climax of the story comes in the form of Amoeba of Madness, where each component of the band comes to the fore, particularly the relationship between vocals and lead guitars. As with Id3ntity, the show ends with We Are Legion, and Ward XVI are joined onstage by Pulverise for a close of tour singalong.

While not employing a scientific method, I’m pretty sure I’m looking at a higher percentage of people wearing the headliner’s t-shirts – and jump-suits – than I’d see at Maiden, DC or Kiss. Such is the regard Ward XVI are held in, and not just because it’s a hometown show.

Since their inception the band have been grafting hard to create the show seen on this tour: they can be found at all manner of festivals, in full stage regalia, even when they’re not playing, just to spread the word and add to that ever-growing legion of fans.

Now the trilogy is done, one can only wonder where Ward XVI go next? Or whether, like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, the killer is now free to return to her bloody rampage.