VOLBEAT And THE DAMNED THINGS Enthrall Exuberant Hollywood Crowd

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

My rating:

April 6th 2011, House Of Blues, Hollywood CA: Danish rockers Volbeat have worked their way to a solid fan base in the United States, thanks largely to a support run with Metallica in 2009, followed by a tour of their own last year. But this time they took it to another level as they toured across the country playing in front of sold-out crowds at major club venues, finally hitting the LA area tonight at the Sunset Strip House of Blues. Hourcast from Boston, MA and supergroup The Damned Things came along as support. A lot was expected from a show of this magnitude, and one thing is for certain, no one would have left the venue disappointed with what he or she got to see tonight.

Backtracking a few hours before the show, the band's camera crew were on site filming for an upcoming DVD. They got footage of the roadies unloading the gear and in the meanwhile, the band members were casually hanging around, more than happy to talk to the handful of fans that had arrived early to the venue. This is what I was very glad to see, the fact that they are still as down to earth as they were less than two years back when they played their first ever LA show. Subsequent success and rising popularity in the country hasn't gotten to their heads, and hopefully never will.

The doors opened at 7 o' clock and as I was the first person to enter the venue, it was easy enough for me to secure the only spot I'd ever be for a Volbeat show, in the center of the front row. Hourcast opened the show at 8, and played a 7-song, 30-minute long set. They played what I would brand as "beginner rock", that is, music for someone who's moving from pop music to rock. They weren't really my cup of tea but they were getting a pretty good response from the crowd, and in Hollywood that is quite an achievement.

Next up were The Damned Things, a band that impresses me more and more every time I see them. If you haven't heard of them, here's the deal. For starters, they sound nothing like the bands their members are originally from. If you're ready to write them off even before listening to their music, just because you think you're too metal for Fall Out Boy and Every Time I Die, you couldn't be more wrong. This band kicks serious ass, as was proven tonight. The great thing about tonight's set was, they played their entire debut album, the only songs they have at present, despite this being a support slot. So we actually got a full TDT set and as a result, got to see the band in full glory.

With every single song they brought something different to the table. Solidly heavy riffs, endearing guitar harmonies, crisp vocals and relentless drumming are the hallmarks of their sound, portrayed excellently in a live setting, in front of a crowd most of whom were watching with peering, judgmental eyes. But as their set went on, more and more people started reacting positively to the musicians on stage, and by the time they played "Graverobber", my favorite song of theirs, the place was truly alive. They ended with their most popular song, "We've Got A Situation Here". Frontman Keith Buckley invited everyone to come and hang with the band members at their merch booth, thus proving that the band is not resting on the laurels of their parent bands, and are more than ready to put in the hard yards. They are starting out from scratch, just like any new band. If you haven't seen them yet, go check them out the next time they hit your town, and take my word, you won't regret it.

After that seriously amazing warm-up, we were more than ready for Volbeat to rock our socks off. The wait was finally over and after Motorhead's "Born To Raise Hell" was played on the PA, the band hit the stage running with "The Human Instrument", a solid start to the set. Then came "Guitar Gangster & Cadillac Blood", and everyone was already having a ball. They introduced material from the latest album "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" with the song "Heaven Nor Hell". Next came a little teaser of my favorite Volbeat song, "A Moment Forever". I was pretty disappointed that they skipped this song completely on their show at the Key Club last year, so I was glad to get at least a snippet of it although obviously I would have liked to hear the whole song. They jumped into "Hallelujah Goat" and the intensity from the crowd was rising with every passing minute. The camera crew was on stage to capture this very intensity, ensuring that the fans kept their voices up for the entirety of the show. "The Mirror And The Ripper" was another new song they did in the early portion of the set, and turned out to be one of the (many) highlights of the show in my opinion.

One of the most endearing passages of the show was when frontman Michael Poulsen noticed a Motorhead fan in the crowd and started talking to him. The band went on to play a teaser of "Ace Of Spades", and one thing led to another, as a result of which they ended up doing a very enjoyable little jam session on stage, also including the Metallica songs "I Disappear" and "The Shortest Straw". Yet more kickass tunes followed, along with the new song "16 Dollars" slipped in between them. The new songs blended seamlessly with the older material, always a good sign of two things: a successful new album and a well compiled set list. "Mary Ann's Place" and "Still Counting" were the standouts from this segment, as Michael asked the crowd to sing the entire first verse of Still Counting, to which we gladly obliged. This was also the last song of the main set, so they left the stage but a glorious encore beckoned.

The encore consisted mainly of the new songs, with as many as three out of five from the new album. For the song "Thanks", a bunch of chicks joined them on stage, reminding me of the Steel Panther show I once had the misfortune of standing through, at the very same venue. Other than, every minute of the encore was as enjoyable as the face-melting first segment of the set. "Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza" turned out to a great sing-along as it always has been. They did that, and then "Boa", after which they showed their gratitude for this amazing crowd by stepping off the stage and shaking hands with everyone in the front row. They once again showed their down to earth attitude by inviting people to have a drink with them after. To sum it up, Volbeat could do no wrong at this show, giving the paying fans their money's worth, and then some.

An incredibly rollicking performance \m/

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