King Tuts hosted another fantastic Rock n’ Roll Damnation listing this year with London death-pop rockers Fearless Vampire Killers taking to the stage for an intimate headline show in Glasgow as part of the festival,
before they return to England for an extensive tour in October with The Dead Lay Waiting.
By the time I had arrived at King Tuts, the tiny venue was packed out to the door as the crowd were intensely watching the third act of the night, Madison. Unfortunately due to extremely late timing from travelling through to Glasgow, I only managed to catch a couple of the group’s songs. However, judging by the crowd’s reaction during the remainder of the set, Madison had enough to prove that their performance was in fact a massive success.
Once Madison had left the stage, Fearless Vampire Killers audience proceeded to move forward for the best spot in the venue whilst many of the group’s teenage fanbase were already waiting patiently in the front row as they grasped their compact cameras for any possible sighting of the band.
Immediately as the lights went down, the group entered the room adorned in their reputable theatre infused make-up, as well as bearing their accustomed unique attire which combines elements from the steampunk genre. With the group having two frontmen Laurence Beveridge and Kier Kemp, both switch between vocals and guitar throughout the night, with Kemp initially taking the lead for the first half of the group’s performance with Beveridge on guitar.
Providing an exhilarating introduction to their set with ‘Bow Ties On Dead Guys’, Kemp consistently demonstrated his perfected showmanship with an onstage presence full of energy and initiative. This persistent high stamina became an infectious pattern with the entire band during the show as the group followed on their performance with tracks such as ‘Concede. Repent. Destroy’ and ‘Could We Burn, Darling’.
Conversation in between songs became more frequent when Beveridge took over for his section of the show as lead vocalist with humourous debates about fetishes and random in the moment ‘contests’ which resulted in bassist Drew Woolnough endeavouring to perform the rest of the set with a roll of tape on top of his head. However, aside from the conversational pieces and alike, Beveridge equally brought an intense disposition to the band’s performance as he regularly engaged with his audience and spent a majority of his time offstage, singing directly to his fans from the photo pit.
Highlights of the group’s show also included their small but significant encore where they performed ‘At War With The Thirst’, which ultimately created for the perfect finale as drummer Luke Illingworth and lead guitarist Cyrus Barrone notably showcased their skills with shattering drumbeats and a hell of an impressive guitar solo.
It’s needless to say that Fearless Vampire Killers have been turning heads in many directions within the past few months, and if the five-piece maintain the pace and progression of their band, it will certainly only be a matter of time before they manage to fulfill their desired aspirations.
(Photos by Nicola Sharkey – www.nicolasharkeyphotography.com)