On a cold Saturday night I found myself in a bumper queue outside of the O2 Academy in Birmingham where all three rooms of the venue were playing host to gigs of varying descriptions. But I was there, in the diminutive Academy 2, for the electro-rock German trio Blackout Problems.
Lake Malice the Brighton-based duo, Italian-born Alice (Alee-ch-ay) Guala & Blake Cornwall (joined on this tour by drummer Emily Ainger), are the sole support act of the evening tasked with getting the crowd suitably worked up. You may remember that Lake Malice was featured in our coverage of the Bristol Sounds festival earlier in the summer, the whirlwind of energy that they displayed on that big stage has not diminished one bit, if anything with the more intimate setting it felt as though all elements of their set were dialled up to 11.
There was a smattering of fans present in varying amounts of Lake Malice merch showing that they have a decent enough pull of their own merit with people coming not just to see the headliner; there were even some particularly dedicated young fans who had even travelled up with their parents from South Wales to see the show, dropping off a care package of 'on the road essentials' for the band before the set fully got into swing (shout out to dad Ron who I was able to have a chat to about all things metal in between sets).
Alice's vocal performance was once again on point, effortlessly flicking between cleans and some downright dirty harsh vocals that I am still in awe of. We were even treated to a brief drum solo from Emily just after "Bloodbath". Blake surely does not need a gym membership, such is the amount of energy expelled jumping and spinning around the stage; even making it over the barrier and into the moshing masses, guitar and all, during "Mitsuku".
The band are going from strength to strength, having been nominated for best breakthrough act at this year's Heavy Music Awards and with a diary that is already looking jam-packed for next year (slots at Slam Dunk Festival, 2000 Trees Festival and Takedown Festival already announced with surely more to follow) hopefully the sky is the limit for bigger and better things soon and it hopefully won't be long until we get a follow up to the 2023 EP Post-Genesis.
The crowd now suitably warmed up, it was on the the main event, the Munich-based "emotive electro-rock" trio of Mario Radetzky, Marcus Schwarzbach and Moritz Hammrich, Blackout Problems. These guys are kind of a big deal back home, with the latest album RIOT becoming their first to break the top 5 in the German charts, it's clear to see why there was a smattering of native Deutsch travelling support made the trip to England's second city.
Much like Lake Malice beforehand, the set is an assault of energy and all-around good vibes from start to finish, with only the briefest moments given to anecdotes and the odd acoustic number affording the audience a chance to draw breath.
Things kicked off with "TRIO" and "DNA"; and if those in attendance were not already on the same level as the band they soon were as "Voodoo People" by The Prodigy and Pendulum plays and sees Mario's first foray into the crowd. This really sets the scene for sonic journey that we were all about to go on with a mixture of hard, somewhat, indie rock often fused with electronic, almost drum and bass, elements all linked together through lyrics that are thoughtful and emotional.
You can keep your Batman vs Superman and your Deadpool & Wolverine, the crossover that the people have truly been waiting for see's Alice and Blake of Lake Malice join Blackout Problems onstage to perform their new collaboration single "Quicker Than Death". Co-produced by members of both bands, the single also boasts an impressive credits list including Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds providing the mixing and mastering on the track that was chosen as BBC Radio 1 Introducing's Rock Show 'Track Of The Week'.
As if the two bands haven't been busy enough touring ten different countries around Europe since the start of October, they have somehow found the time to film and (this week) release a music video for "Quicker Than Death"
It felt as though Mario was off the stage, and either at the barrier or in the crowd, more than he was on it; at one point, during "Darling", stood atop a flight case in the centre of the crowd, circle pit around him whilst the guitar solo was aptly shredded. "Germany Germany" felt like we had reached a belting summit to start off the tail end of the set, with "Kaos", despite the subject matter, providing some real ethereal uplifting vibes.
There is a rumble of thunder and the sound of birds chirping fill the room as the lights stay dimmed and chants of "one more song" ring out. The boys are back onstage for an encore, starting with "Murderer", including some slightly altered lyrics referring to the recent rise in populist nationalism around both Europe and the rest of the world, reflecting on the recent US elections "Does voting for a fascist make you a fascist...yes yes yes".
"Front Row" is used to send home the message of LOVE and round out the overall positive vibes of the night: "In 2024 violence won't get you anywhere. How can people still vote for fascists? Why do we still rely on instincts like war? We need peace and love and understanding. It doesn't matter where you come from or who you are."
"Rome" then follows before one last brief anecdote about how the guys ended up at the very similarly named O2 Institute across town (as opposed to the O2 Academy where they should have been) and how when they finally got to the venue they were threatened by the locals (not for the first time in whilst in Birmingham it turns out); the night, described as "a beautiful riot", comes to a close with "Funeral".
The only downside to the evening was the seeming lack of ticket sales for the night (shamefully Birmingham has not been able to keep pace with the level of crowds that were able to be drawn over on the continent), the performances put on by both bands were so deserving of a much larger audience and I suggest both are bands that you should search out to see live yourselves. But the spirits of both the bands and the fans could not be dampened, with Mario even commenting "You could say that we are playing to half an empty room, but we are doing what we love right now".
That being said, I for one was so thankful that I was able to be part of what was a really intimate experience that will surely be few and far between as both bands, as I hope go on to play bigger and bigger stages the next time they are touring the UK. If you are wanting to catch both Blackout Problems and Lake Malice on this current run of shows then you'll have to be quick; following a co-headline show at The Dome in London, the final UK date of the tour will be at Bristol's Thekla on November 16th before a homecoming show in Munich in December.
