DATE – 9th February 2024
Words-Graeme Wright
Photographs-Dave Bott
REVIEW
For me, the most difficult trick to pull off in the modern-day Heavy Rock arena is to combine the power and aggression expected by today’s audiences, while retaining enough melody and accessibility to appeal to the widest possible demographic. I first saw Black Lakes at Dementia Fest in Cannock a few weeks ago and apart from a couple of songs that had appeared on Spotify as recommendations I wasn’t familiar with the band’s output. They impressed me so much that day that I bought their debut album and a plethora of merchandise, so to say I was pleased when I found out they were supporting South Of Salem at The Tivoli is an understatement.
The big question was going to be how they would perform on a bigger stage, but to be honest the answer to that question was never in doubt. Despite an early slight sound issue where the drums sounded way up the mix (this was soon corrected), this band were on fire tonight. To start with, they look the part. From hooded bass player Lee Harris through to the twin guitar attack of Scott Bradshaw and James Rowlands, backed up by the whirling dervish that is drummer Daffyd Fuller this is a band at the peak of its powers. Add into the mix a vocalist Will Preston who prowls the stage full of nervous energy and displays a huge stage presence, as well as having a vocal range to die for, these boys are the real deal.
From the opening bars of ‘Avarice’ it’s clear that this band possess something that most outfits would kill for. Great songs. Loads of them. An album full of them. Melody, range, aggression, accessibility and immediacy, they’ve got the lot. The crowd in this venue turned up in numbers despite the early start, making it clear to me in conversation after the show that they had wanted to catch this support act due to the huge buzz that currently follows them. They weren’t disappointed, with more than one audience member telling me he would have gladly paid the entrance fee just to see Black Lakes alone.
‘The Divide’ follows, and while this band have their unique sound I do get a hint of Soundgarden from this one, from its huge chorus and the immense vocals on display. It’s difficult to pick a favourite track from the album because they are all uniformly strong, but many people point to ‘Deathrone’ as a contender and the band’s performance of it is exemplary here tonight. I love ‘Ghosts (of our memories)’. It’s slower-paced, hugely melodic and heartfelt and for me is a perfect example of the quality of the songwriting on display within this band. Certainly, the crowd around me are caught up in the moment too and are loving this performance.
Fragments’ and ‘Break The Silence’ pass by far too quickly ( to be frank I’m running out of superlatives to use here), and then it’s time for a new song ‘White Cliffs’ which will be appearing on the new album ‘’Dead Gods’. In a word, this one is immense. Huge, heavy and powerful, if this is a sign of things to come I can’t wait for the album’s release. ‘Landslide’ and ‘Verity In Flames’ are both incredible, and the show closes out with ‘Dissident’, which was an early release in 2019 and the song that put this band on the map.
This was a brilliant show, the extended set showed the quality of both the band and their songs and 2024 should be a huge year for them. The buzz is well and truly in overdrive for these guys, and it’s a testament to them all that they are genuinely humble when interacting with the fans in the venue after the show.
My only criticism of the band is that they don’t appear to realise quite how good they are. If they are playing near you, get out and see them. You won’t regret it.
Band
Will Preston – Lead Vocals
Scott Bradshaw – Guitars and Vocals
James Rowlands – Guitars and Vocals
Lee Harris – Bass Guitars
Dafydd Fuller – Drums
SETLIST
1. Avarice
2. The Divide
3. Deathrone
4. Ghosts (of our memories)
5. Fragments
6. Break The Silence
7. White Cliffs
8. Landslide
9. Verity In Flames
10. Dissident
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