BABYMETAL // O2 APOLLO, MANCHESTER
BABYMETAL drop in to Manchester on their Metal Galaxy World Tour
BABYMETAL PERFORMING AT MANCHESTER’S O2 APOLLO - 22.02.2020
PICTURE BY: | JOHN HAYHURST PHOTOGRAPHY @SNAPAGIG.COM
★★★★☆ (4/5)
With more battery power than 3 Duracell bunnies BABYMETAL were firing on all cylinders in Manchester at the Apollo tonight. Support band were Creeper and they went down particularly well too, considering the fan base for everyone’s favourite J-Pop Metal outfit also seem to like Killswitch Engage, Motorhead and Suicidal Tendencies judging by the T-Shirt selection on show.
For those of you that have been living under a rock for the last 10 years BABYMETAL are a cross between Japanese Kawaii dancing and some serious thrashing metal sounds provided by their Kami-band who tonight are decked in some mask’s that Slipknot would be proud of.
BABYMETAL PERFORMING AT MANCHESTER’S O2 APOLLO - 22.02.2020
PICTURE BY: | JOHN HAYHURST PHOTOGRAPHY @SNAPAGIG.COM
Sadly, we lost a member recently – Yui-Metal has left the band to be replaced by an Avenger – the name they give to a complimentary dancer to ensure they keep the magic number of 3 intact. I’m reliably informed it was Okazaki Momoko but I’ll leave that confirmation to the purists who were inhabiting the front rows decked in their Japanese flags and hair in bunches.
Tonight, will feature the new album Metal Galaxy quite heavily, in fact more than 50% of this thrill packed hour is devoted to it. However, after opener ‘DA DA DANCE’ we pile straight into fan favourite ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ and even have our first crowd surfer. Unusual to hear this track in the first 3 as it’s been a staple of their latter songs for years. Then we go all Asian/Bollywood crossover next with the new ‘Shanti Shanti Shanti’ number.
BABYMETAL PERFORMING AT MANCHESTER’S O2 APOLLO - 22.02.2020
PICTURE BY: | JOHN HAYHURST PHOTOGRAPHY @SNAPAGIG.COM
It feels like everything is on fast forward and they pack some serious choreography in to the set. Whether it is ‘Megitsune’ or ‘KARATE’ the girls have a specific dance and stage persona to project, each one choregraphed to perfection at 100mph. That’s the novelty factor that attracted people here in the first place and although Su-Metal and Moa-Metal are no longer consider very young anymore and don’t need the boxes they used to stand on, there is still the same draw to watching 3 identically dressed Japanese girls energetically dancing around to some Kami Thrash.
The band get an intro during ‘Kagerou’ but the rest of the time they remain chugging through the heavy setlist at the back in the shadows. ‘Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!’ closes the set and with everyone checking their watches the band are quickly resume with ‘Road of Resistance’ for the encore. This set is predictable as they have pretty much kept it the same throughout these 3 dates in the UK. A short trip over here then, but they will return for Main Stage Download 2020!.
Check out this YouTube clip of ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ Performed at Glastonbury last year https://youtu.be/hPE0YtMqjCA
SETLIST: | BABYMETAL : O2 APOLLO, MANCHESTER - 22.02.2020
FUTURE METAL
DA DA DANCE
Gimme Chocolate!!
Shanti Shanti Shanti
BxMxC
Kagerou - (with Kami Band Intro.)
Oh! MAJINAI
Megitsune
PA PA YA!!
Distortion
KARATE
Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!
ENCORE:
Road of Resistance