That day came, the day you fear, the day you hope would never happen. When your darkened youth disappears with the announcement that “this will be our last tour.”
Fans of goth rockers Aiden recently had this news descend on them will full force. It was heartbreaking, souls torn apart by the soundtrack of their early years becoming “never heard again on stage” archive material. So how did they bow out of their decade reign?
In absolute carnage, that’s how. A bittersweet night gifted to us with the added bonus of Departed, Never Found and the emphatically buoyant AshestoAngels who managed to create their own chaos by getting down and personal with the roaring Tunnels crowd.
Both Departed and Never Found kicked off the evening respectively. Battling past the earlier time slot, they had challenge ahead of them – to convert a crowd ready to mend their broken hearts. A tough job played out well. Though not to the level of either AshestoAngels or Aiden, there is potential there to develop into something noteworthy. Relative newcomers Departed showered us with glimpses of what is to come over the next year. Channeling their inner demons to discover a world of infinite riffs, pounding vocals and sweaty hand grabs. Their intention was to ensure you remembered them and a few more shows down the line, they will surely take second billing. (3/5)
Never Found have been carefully crafting their own sound for the past 4 years and have built up quite the following, a group who went wild for their biggest hit so far ‘Take Me Away’. They knew that bringing energy and charm was essential, and thankfully it was churned out in old fashioned punk style. Adding to their allure is how well they connect with the audience, you feel like you are their friends and makes the whole experience much more personal. (3.5/5)
As for AshestoAngels, there was an infinite amount of adrenaline pumping round Tunnels it was hard to keep up at times. Lead man and (general stunt man) Adam Crilly took it upon himself to introduce his bodily parts to a more than welcoming gang of goth metal heads. There was even a ball grab. Take that as you will. We took a brief pause as the mosh pit got a little bit crazy however we were soon back on the rollercoaster that is an AshestoAngels set. They certainly knew how to roll out the insanity and prepare us for the final act. (4/5)
It was hard not to feel a part of something special as Aiden take to the stage, even on a nippy night in January. Hyped from the set of AshestoAngels and their crowd party, the crowd were pumped and ready to engage in what can only be described as the craziest mosh pit I have witnessed in quite some time. Though coming across as shy at times, William Control plays the frontman to the best of what we desired. He wasn’t in your face but he also knew how to work us, how to get us involved, how to get us to discuss “Slut Dropping” (Note: Never ask a crowd about new-fangled dance moves). He played the part of the gothic anti-hero and made us miss the band even more, but savoring the moment was key.
Plowing through a back catalogue of no less than 18 songs including ‘Die Romantic’ and ‘Crawling Up From Hell’, Aiden gave the fans a parting gift we will never forget. Relentless in their power, unforgiving in their sound and less than virtuous in their desire for a wall of death – it was a killer way to bow out of their reign.
Come the end, it was time to get up close and personal, deep into the crowd and to ensure ultimate chaos was ensued. Joined on stage by their supporting bands, and most of the crowd, it was hard to determine what was really going on. But nobody cared and sweat was poured, it was a glorious moment of absolute mayhem. It is sad to see them go, but an incredible performance to part with. (5/5)
4/5
Words by Georgie Robbins (@GeorgieJourno)
