After a year of waiting, minus a stopgap appearance at Download, Beartooth has finally returned to the UK. Tonight’s second outing at Birmingham’s O2 Academy sees them leading a heavy, multi-national bill completed by Polaris and Landmvrks.
Marseille quintet Landmvrks set the tone for the night with their brand of energetic metalcore. Florent Salfati’s call-and-response of “every day feels like… death” gets a decent response from the early growing crowd. ‘Blistering’ bounces with its soaring chorus and rumbling rhythm section. Salfati’s French rapping amongst soothing trap beats makes them fairly unique, providing a respite from Landmvrks’ metallic sharpness. While ‘Suffocate’ sees Florent lead an acoustic sing-a-long momentarily, Landmvrks thrive when delivering impactful heavy moments as ‘Suffocate’s final moments show. Closer, ‘Self Made Blackhole’, ends this outing strongly, showcasing their assured brand of metalcore.
Next up, Polaris put a technically proficient slant on metalcore, giving the Aussie group a compelling ferociousness. Lead guitarist Jesse Crofts and bassist Jake Steinhauser thrive as Jamie Hails conducts the rowdy crowd, turning the floor into one of several walls of deaths this evening. While Crofts provides looping riffs, his bandmates deliver crushing breakdowns aplenty. Highlights from last year’s ‘Fatalism’ record such as ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Overflow’ have enough weight behind them to send the dedicated fans into a frenzy. Overall, both Polaris and Landmvrks used their support slots to their benefit, leaving a lasting, and fairly positive, impression.
Having released five albums over the past decade, Beartooth has plenty of arsenal. Tonight Caleb Shomo and company use to perfection, delivering a high-octane, energetic set that picks out a plethora of career highlights. For the most part, they sink their teeth into last year’s ‘The Surface’. Where tonight’s support finds solace in metalcore, Beartooth show their evolution. The confetti-blasting titular opening epitomises who the quintet are now, bringing together heavy guitars with equally big hooks. While ‘The Past Is Dead’ duly gets some crowd participation. ‘Doubt Me’ explodes with its towering hook before older cuts ‘Disease’ and ‘‘Devastation’ romp through.
Throughout there’s a humble magnetism to Shomo’s stage presence, partly due to a combination of his experience and subtle outfit changes. Songs from ‘The Surface’ are complemented by a pascal pink aesthetic via video graphics. ‘Might Love Myself’ opens in a slick and neon manner before Zach Huston’s spiky guitar riffs kickstart a full band onslaught. As his bandmates briefly take the spotlight on ‘The Last Riff’, Shomo makes his way to the sound desk, armed with an acoustic guitar. Here he leads a cover of ‘Mr. Brightside’ before sliding into ‘Look The Other Way’, paying tribute to his wife, Fleur, in the process. Ultimately, it allows a moment for Caleb to show his heartfelt, vulnerable side while maintaining the rock star bravado.
Although the recent single ‘ATTN’ exemplifies Beartooth‘s ability to write hard rock earworms, it’s sandwiched between two hefty reminders of the quintet’s more rugged past in ‘The Lines’ and ‘Body Bag’. Before departing before the inevitable encore, ‘I Was Alive’ is dedicated to Caleb’s late grandfather, serving up another momentous chorus and leaving the frenzied wanting a little bit more. Thankfully, they return to give a one-two punch. ‘Sunshine’ bridges the past and present Beartooth before ‘In Between’ closes the night in a rousing fashion. As his bandmates depart, Shomo leads the choir in a cappella refrain of the song’s addictive “Woah-oah-oh-oaahhhh”.
Two nights back-to-back in one city is considerably a big ask for a band of Beartooth‘s stature. While tonight’s outing didn’t look like a sell-out, there’s clearly a hunger to see Beartooth and their continuing ascension. Assisted with the subtle production trick (confetti, video screens), as a live outfit they don’t feel out of place or overwhelmed in a venue like Birmingham’s O2 Academy, or either at the Manchester or London venues that follow tonight’s outing. Undoubtedly, Shomo takes centre stage yet his bandmates support him by routinely delivering massive rock songs that have energy and longevity. On this evidence, Beartooth are well on their way to becoming a premier rock act.
