Empress, Crossfaith and Bring Me The Horizon at Portsmouth Pyramids 4/5/13

Progressive rock band Empress were the first band to grace the stage in Portsmouth, and despite being relatively unheard of, they performed a strong set which left the crowd wanting more. The progressive rock vibe presented in their music differed greatly from Bring Me The Horizon’s iconic sound, but Ollie Loring’s screaming and singing vocals sounded impressive and filled the venue well. The guitar riffs were especially impressive, making it no wonder that they’re going from strength to strength supporting many rock and metal bands this year.

Crossfaith are renowned for being an eccentric electronica band from Japan, and their live show definitely further enhances this image. The energy emerging from Crossfaith is almost contagious, and whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no denying that they put on a great live show. Their latest party hit ‘Jagerbomb’ sounded great live, and their cover of ‘Omen’ by The Prodigy got the crowd moving well. If you want to see a band with the crazy attitude of Dir En Grey, but with more technical music, then Crossfaith are the band for you.

Love them or hate them, Bring Me The Horizon are one of the biggest rock/metal bands around at the moment. Their album ‘Sempiternal’ showed their progression in both lyric-wise and in a musical direction, so there’s no surprise that there were huge expectations for their live show. Bring Me The Horizon further proved their progression in their live show, with Oli Sykes’ vocals sounding even better than on recording. Playing both old and new songs, Bring Me The Horizon proved the doubters wrong and played one of the best shows of the year. Highlights of their set included ‘Chelsea Smile’, ‘And The Snakes Start To Sing’ and ‘Blessed With A Curse’. Ending their incredible performance with ‘Sleepwalking’, Oli and co. proved that Bring Me The Horizon are a band who will continue to get better and better as their career continues.

Check out Empress here: https://www.facebook.com/Empressband
Check out Crossfaith here: https://www.facebook.com/crossfaithofficial
Check out Bring Me The Horizon here: https://www.facebook.com/bmthofficial