SABATON - LEEDS, UK.
Sabaton at the First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK (04/04/2023).
with support from Babymetal and Lordi.
Images by: Dylan Maggs.
SABATON
BABYMETAL
LORDI
When I normally attend shows in large-scale arenas, I usually have an idea of what to expect as I would have seen photos and videos of the set popping around online, and maybe even the setlist. But not tonight as we had the pleasure of being the first stop on Swedish heavy metal icons Sabaton’s UK tour - and there’s no way I could have foreseen the theatrics that I was about to witness.
The wait outside was long, cold and wet. The English weather was not treating us well but the fans were in high spirits, donning their patch-covering jackets alone not giving a care about the rain. Despite the miserable weather, it wouldn’t keep us down and we’d forget about it as soon as we were through those doors.
First on stage was Lordi, a Finnish rock band with a very specific horror-like look, which I was absolutely in awe of. If the band sounds familiar to you, it’s most likely due to their 2006 victory at the Eurovision song contest, however the band themselves were formed in 1992 so they have a large history. Now, don’t get me wrong.. The set was great! However, it did come with its troubles as technical difficulties did not favor the Finnish natives, causing the speakers to cut and burst out high pitched noises. However this did not stop them and they powered through, making sure to leave their mark on the crowd, which they lapped up in abundance. The band were metal as hell, powerful and comedic. I’d see them again for the costumes alone.
After a short intermission, I entered the photo-pit for a band that I have been dying to see perform for what feels like an eternity. Babymetal. A band that you have no excuse to have not come across before, as they have been making waves in the metal scene for literal years. Both fresh and exciting with moves that make you want to dance along with. Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal came onto stage to a pre-recorded opening monologue with an eruption of cheers from the crowd, the excitement filling the venue. A beautifully crafted setlist covering almost every song people would want to witness live from their set opening track ‘BABYMETAL DEATH’ to the incredibly popular ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’, one which I was most eager to see performed. Mosh-pits and crowd surfers took over the floor space, and it was great to see everyone living their best life! Easily one of the best performances I’ve seen live with their choreographed routines.
So far, the show has been a blast - the support bands were picked perfectly to warm-up the crowd. My only nit-pick would be that the fencing at the front of the stage for Sabaton’s stage design felt invasive at times, often taking away from the previous performances - both as a photographer and fan. I could barely see performers in the photo-pit and I can assume it was the same for those at the barrier.. But this is just a nit-pick, and something I could oversee.
Finally, the moment that everyone had been waiting for. The set design was in full view.. A war-like layout consisting of sandbags, barbed wire, sheets of metal and A TANK. As the lights dropped to darkness the excitement caught everyone one final time as the screams erupted from the crowd. Explosions from the roof marked the start of a packed few hours.
If there is anything you need to know about a Sabaton tour, specifically this one.. It's created beautifully. The whole show felt like everything down to a breath was planned to a T. Story arcs were created and played out and the stage props were out of this world.
Kicking off with ‘Ghost Division’ got everyone throwing out the devil-horns to the incredible artistry on display. Even I, as someone who hasn’t listened to Sabaton for a long time, was completely gripped. If you looked away for a second, there was a good chance that you missed something.
So let’s run through what you could miss.. Incredibly hot pyrotechnics, tank explosions, costume changes, war planes, soldiers brandishing flame throwers, more costume changes, schemes of making ‘poison’ smoke, ‘poison’ smoke and lots and lots and lots more fire.
Joakim, Chris, Tommy, Par and Hannes made sure that they weren’t going to disappoint by including a vast selection of their discography. Including songs from newer albums such as ‘The War to End All Wars’ to older albums like ‘The Art of War’. The people in front of me headbanging tirelessly to almost every song.
I don’t want to fully ruin the whole setlist for anyone who doesn’t want it spoiled.. So skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to know. Despite the whole show being absolutely incredible, there were a few songs that are particular highlights for me.. ‘Into The Fire’ being the first as you could feel those flames all the way from the soundboard, ‘The Attack of the Dead Men’ because of the incredible scenes as the band brandished gas masks and plenty of smoke, and ofcourse ‘To Hell and Back’ because of how mental the crowd went.
All in all, the Swedish legends Sabaton managed to put on the best metal show I have ever been to, and I can imagine it’s going to take a lot to top. The bar is high. Thank you to The Noise Cartel for getting me down!
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