HIM // BARROWLANDS, GLASGOW
HIM BRING THEIR FAREWELL TOUR TO GLASGOW'S BARROWLANDS
★★★★☆ (4/5)
HIM PERFORMING AT GLASGOW'S BARROWLANDS - 14.12.2017
PICTURE BY: PAUL STORR PHOTOGRAPHY
Opening the show tonight are Biters. Coming out and immediately kicking into the hook laden "Low Lives In High Definition", they get things off to a great start. Their sound is that of pure rock n roll. With each member showing so much passion and energy for what they have created, their set is superb.
Highlights come in the form of "Gypsy Rose" and an awesome cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl", the latter with the bands own rocky twist to it.
They win the crowd over and have the room headbanging and fist-pumping along with them by the time they finish their set with "1975", which harks back to the days when rock n roll was king.
The house lights drop, a giant Heartagram lights up and the noise from the crowd grows as HIM take to the stage.
Opening their set with 2003's "Buried Alive By Love", the whole venue is immediately in a mass singalong. Frontman Ville Valo can be seen grinning from ear to ear as he soaks up the admiration thrown towards him.
This being their last ever tour, the set consists of cuts from their whole back catalogue. "Wings of a Butterfly" from 2005's "Dark Light" is followed perfectly by "Gone With The Sin" from 1999's "Razorblade Romance", both being highlights of the night.
Sadly at times Ville's vocals come over as slightly dull, but thankfully this only seems to be for smaller portions of the set.
A cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" goes down great and the sing back chorus of "Heartkiller" sounds beautiful in the iconic Barrowlands.
The main set is finished with 2003's "The Funeral of Hearts" and the crowd begin to chant for more.
The band re-appear for an encore beginning with a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and finish the whole set with "When Love and Death Embrace" from 2004's "And Love Said No..."