On January 23, 2024, we were at the Trabendo to see and interview Bury Tomorrow, accompanied by We Came As Romans and Kingdom Of Giants.
Only Metalcore on the agenda
All three bands are indeed metalcore. The difference is that Bury Tomorrow hail from England, while the other two bands are from the USA. After the release of their 7th album 'The Seventh Sun' in 2023, it was no surprise to find them on the road !
Founded in 2006, the band has had its ups and downs, its successes and changes, as can be seen recently with the new era heralded by their latest album and their two new members Ed Hartwell (bass) and Tom Prendergast (vocals and keyboard) who joined the band after Jason Cameron left, before the making of the last album.
We Came As Romans has had its share of member changes too ! Active since 2005, the band has released 2 EPs and 6 Albums, including one released in 2022, 'Darkbloom', which earned them a tour and a first appearance at Paris' Trabendo in May 2023. But you must know that if you've been following our news, we were there!
On the other hand, it was a first for us to see Kingdom Of Giants live! We got to know this Northern Californian band, founded in 2010 from the ashes of a former line-up. Today, they have 4 albums and 1 EP to their name, and have played countless concerts.
The Trabendo on edge
The doors opened at 7.30pm, but we had an appointment a little earlier to talk to Ed and Davyd about the latest album, the tour and the French language ! You can find the interview here :
But after interviews, sound checks and merchandising, security ushered in the large crowd. The room gradually fills up and metalheads of all kinds take their seats, some already with a drink in hand.
A daring playlist featuring Backstreet Boys, Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance plays in the background, delighting the fans who start singing along as they wait for the show to begin.
Kingdom of Giants make their grand entrance on stage, with daring strobe lighting and big guitar riffs. The singer, Dana Willax, doesn't hesitate to play with the audience, putting one foot on the crash barrier or separating the crowd for some Walls Of Death!
A small but effective set, which got the crowd in the mood from the very first song!
After around 45 minutes, they give way to the second act: We Came As Romans. Each member arrives and the crowd screams as 'Darkbloom', the eponymous track from their latest album, begins.
Moving on to numerous tracks from the album, the band don't fail to play a piece of music much awaited by fans: 'Black Hole', featuring Caleb Shomo and with which they closed their concert last May.
The audience jumped, headbanged and admired Andy Glass whirling around the stage with his bass, swapping places with Lou Cotton every 30 seconds to give us a show for the eyes as well as the ears.
The band announced that there will be fewer concerts in the near future, as they are already planning their next album!
They leave the stage, leaving the fans with a softer playlist, sometimes even moving on to country. The fans don't look too thrilled, but this doesn't last long, as Bury Tomorrow take to the stage in style, with a low light that only intensifies when the music does.
During the show, we could witness everything you'd expect from a metal concert: walls of death, crowdsurfing, mosh pits... Singer Daniel Winter-Bates even plays with the fans as they arrive carried by the crowd, while his brother Davyd enjoys a finger-wag with a fan in the front row.
The crowd jumps, moves, dances, jostles and jostles so much, in fact, that by the fourth song of the set, the whole pit falls to the ground on their bums, but gets back up in no time to go back to a huge moshpit..
During the show, you can see how well the latest members have integrated and how the band plays in perfect osmosis. Each member has a place, and even on the small Trabendo stage, everyone has their own space and time under the spotlight.
The band leavesthe stage, greeting the audience and thanking them, then come to meet them with some members of other bands near the merchandising area or outside the venue.
All in all, it was a wonderful and unforgettable evening for the metalcore fans in attendance. And if you want to learn more about the band and the French language, take a look at our chat with Ed and Davyd !