Written by:	omne metallum
Published:	December 01, 2024
Event:	Kreator & Anthrax: Co-Headline European Tour 2024
Location:	Eventim Apollo, London, United Kingdom

Three concerts in three days? At my age, it's not as easy as it used to be, especially having not long recovered from the mess I was during Damnation Festival earlier in the month. Still, beggars can't be choosers; I wanted to see some of the best live music, and suddenly three gigs appeared in quick succession to each other. In fact, I was spoilt for choice, with three gigs on each of the three days meaning I had nine concerts I would have gone to had they not all been clashing with one another. There were a trio, however, that were the cream of the crop for my tastes, and I eagerly jumped on the opportunity to test my endurance skills in the name of metal.

Rather than do separate reviews, I thought it would be better to make one mega review, so beware, this is a long read, but hey, it'll kill some time.

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Kicking off my run of gigs were the rising stars and recent MSA Award nominees Tailgunner. A band who I had already seen twice this year, this would however mark the first time I experienced them headlining a show, and it would be at one of their last shows of a year that has seen them zig-zag across the country, underscoring why they're one of the best up-and-coming bands in the UK metal scene.

Having bought this ticket on the strength off their debut album Guns For Hire, I didn't realise that, between the announcement of this show and the date of the concert, I would see Tailgunner perform live twice in the interim. It's a good thing that the band are great live (well, when the sound isn't screwing them, over like it did at Bloodstock), such that seeing them for the third time in one year isn't a dull prospect yet.

With the UK (at the time) bracing itself for storm Bert (yes, really, they named it Bert), I admired the commitment of all three bands to persevere and make it to the show as scheduled; though it was sold out, the weather must have caused some attendees to drop out, for while well attended, it wasn't packed like a sold out show would be.

The Rattlebacks 19:30-20:00

First up were rock n’ rollers The Rattlebacks, whose job was to get the crowd's minds off of the thoughts of the inclement weather and a day at work, and into party mode. Well, despite an underpowered PA, which turned the bombastic moments into whispers in the whirling winds, the band pushed through and did set the mood, easing your mind with some inoffensive rock.

Toledo Steel 20:30-21:15

For those familiar to the UK underground scene, Hampshire heavy metal peddlers Toledo Steel are a familiar name, having worked their way onto many bills across the country in the last decade. The band's brand of heavy metal was well suited to support Tailgunner's and, as expected, gave the headliners a run for their money.

Picking the cream of the crop to compose their setlist, Toledo Steel put the best foot first with their performance as well, with "On The Loose" suggesting the band's ceiling is higher than being a supporting act at a small club like The Face Bar. With the crowd fully invested in the evening's entertainment, it was a fun set that rewarded those in attendance.

Tailgunner 21:45-23:00

With tonight's show signalling that the end was in sight for the victory lap that was Tailgunner's tour in support of Guns For Hire, it would not surprise me if this is the last time we see the band in venues of this size, making tonight's show in an intimate setting a must-see event.

Unsurprisingly, the set took in the whole of Guns For Hire, allowing the audience to hear what was a great album in a more powerful and fresh light. The new school NWOBHM classics such as the title track, "Revolution Scream" and "White Death" hit so much harder bursting out a PA set at deafening volumes, with band's energy barely contained on the small stage. Containing the surprising inclusion of a cover by NWOBHM obscurities Randy (in the form of a powerful iteration of "Beast In The Night") alongside other barnstorming covers of "Painkiller" mid-set - somehow taking proceedings to another level - and "Don't Talk To Strangers" to close, the band's choice of setlist was nigh on perfect.

A high-octane performance that defied its settings, seeing Tailgunner, who seem destined to break through, in such a small setting was an experience in and of itself.






With storm Bert showing brief reprieve to this part of the UK, Friday's scheduled show was less of an against-the-odds event, and more a fun way to cap off a working week that drains the soul; but hey, what better way to just say screw it than with one of the most controversial punk bands.

Whenever debates arise of bands who have had a large influence relative to the size of their discography, it's rare to see anyone nominate punk luminaries Anti-Nowhere League, who are still going strong four decades into their career. Pretty much a permanent fixture on the British touring circuit, it’s quite amazing how our paths have yet to cross despite the band seemingly playing anywhere that has something resembling a stage. Still, now was my chance to sign off a week at work with some of the most abrasive and powerful punk this side of Never Mind The Bollocks.

The Deckchairs 20:00-20:30

Local Reading punk heroes The Deckchairs had the honours of warming up a crowd that was awash in beer, enthusiasm and grey hair. Kicking things off with a set of punk tunes possessing a slight hardcore bent, the band quickly highlighted why they hadn't kicked on in their forty years of existence; while it wasn't bad, their limits were evident and not too high. The band sounded fine, but the lack of quality songs was a big hindrance.

Still, for a warmup act it was enjoyable enough, though not one I'll be in a rush to hear again.

Anti-Nowhere League 21:00-22:00

It wasn't long until the main event came around, with Anti-Nowhere League striding on stage and emanating an energy that comes with being long-time veteran warriors of the road, kicking off with a charged "Pig Iron" that got the crowd moving and sitting in the palms of mainman Animal's hands. A surprisingly early airing of "So What" caught me off guard, but proved to be an early highlight that injected an urgency to proceedings.

With the venue doubling as a club and it being a Friday, an early curfew was enforced; this, however, served to be a blessing as the band just tore through their set with their defiant and rebellious energy in the condensed time they did have. Culling the majority of their setlist from their (rightly considered classic) debut album We Are The League, the album’s title track and "Streets Of London" had the crowd shouting out in unison when commanded.

The band might be looking a bit worse for wear nowadays, but with music as timeless as this, sometimes showing a bit of ‘warts and all’ adds to proceedings. Well worth seeing when they inevitably play a town near you.






Now, to cap off the trio of concerts was the crowning glory for me: a gig that I knew I would be attending as soon as it was announced, and one that those who know me knew I was going to be at, so why beat around the (John) bush about it?

The tour package of the year was an immediate yes when it was announced, with the added bonus there was a London date AND it fell on a Saturday! With it later being confirmed that Testament would be opening proceedings with an hour's set, while the two co-headliners (Anthrax and Kreator) would be getting 75 minutes apiece, tonight would not be selling the audience short in terms of value for money.




With storm Bert back with a vengeance, today proved to a wet and windy experience, but this didn't dampen the spirits. Upon hearing the news that Kreator would be taking over a Camden pizza restaurant (Lost Boys Pizza - haven't been before, but if its anything like today's offerings, I'd recommend it) for the day to serve up pizzas and merch, temporarily renamed Petrozza's pizzeria, myself and my friends decided to take up the offer, since we were planning on eating before the venue anyway.




The restaurant a mix of its usual horror themes and Kreator links, it was a fun little curio, with some solid food and cocktails (including a lethal spicy tequila). Looking at the merch, I decided upon buying myself a hat, which entitled me to entering the raffle to win a signed guitar by the band (having been the 66th customer, I got the raffle ticket of the same number... I'm not cursed I swear), along with a mix of unique pizzeria merch and other rare merch from the band. I've not been to these pop-up events before, and I'm sure I was spoiled here, but if more were like this then I'd be willing to attend more going forward.



Still, with the London underground journey to Hammersmith showing signs of weather-related issues, the omens were not great for the night ahead, though we made it to the venue with time to spare.

Testament 18:20-19:20




Despite ostensibly being the opening band of the night, Testament weren't treated as such, enjoying the same space and level of production as the other bands on the bill; the only recognizable sign of this being an opening act was the iffy sound that marked the beginning of their set.

Kicking off with a drum and bass-heavy "D.N.R.", Testament burst out the gates with purpose and precision, packing as much as they could into their hour allocation. While it took a few songs before the sound balanced out and the whole band could be heard properly (Chuck Billy was near inaudible, which was incredibly annoying for "D.N.R." especially), when everything slid into place, the band had the packed house moving.

As would be a common theme for the night, each group regaled the audience with memories of their ties to the Hammersmith Apollo venue; Testament’s last appearance on the boards dated back to 1988. To mark the occasion, the band dusted off "Return To Serenity" for a rare outing (which came out in 1992 - I guess history isn't their strong point), a pleasant and unexpected surprise. The whole set was actually surprising, with nothing off of The Legacy, no "Practice What You Preach", and only "Into The Pit" from The New Order; it showed that the band has more strength in depth than you would first imagine.

Laying down a gauntlet, Testament recovered from their early sound issues and put on a headline-worthy performance; this night was shaping up to be one to remember.

It was then that I received a notification that I had won a prize in the Kreator raffle; while it wasn't the guitar, I found out later it was a random and generous assortment of merch. I guess 66 was lucky after all!

Kreator 19:50-21:00




With tonight marking the second time I had seen Kreator in a storm this year, tonight's show being indoors at least meant I could see the full set.

Managing to cram much the same level of production as they had in Germany, Kreator put on a performance and spectacle that was headliner-worthy in their own right, delivering a stage show that matched their performance level. With the usual German precision in full flow, the band tore through powerful renditions of classics "Enemy Of God", "Betrayer" and "Violent Revolution", amongst others. While I had gone into tonight half hoping they would dig out a few more older rarities after missing out in the summer, alas, it was much the usual greatest hits (though that wasn't exactly a bad thing with the quality on offer). Millie also regaled the audience of the last time they were at the venue, opening for Celtic Frost in the 80s. The use of the confetti cannons, however, hadn't accounted for the audience’s wet and damp clothes, with the white confetti sticking to people and resulting in them looking like they had been tarred and feathered. Thankfully, liberal use of pyro helped dry them out.




Aside from the taped version of “Mars Mantra" cutting out as two masked stage hands carrying burning torches stood in silence on stage, the show was hard-hitting and powerful, ensuring smiles across the faces of those who bore witness.

Anthrax 21:45-23:00




As if the night hadn't already peaked with two top-quality sets, my personal highlight hadn't even appeared on stage yet. Despite running close to curfew with a 9:45 start, Anthrax reused an abridged version of their 40th anniversary introductory video to begin their set (with the 40th anniversary collage of album artwork backdrop being set up, but removed prior to the band coming onstage for some reason); it was an odd, unnecessary and time-consuming start to their set.

Still, as the band roared to life with "A.I.R.", the music was able to do the talking and, thankfully, they had a lot to say. Despite Anthrax being largely predictable when it comes to setlists, the band did mix it up tonight somewhat, with the inclusion of rarer cuts like "The Devil You Know" and a powerful "Gung-Ho". The band were their usual selves, on top form and, as a result, had the loudest audience participation by far, with "Madhouse" and "Anti-Social" threatening to deafen anyone without hearing protection.




Charlie Benante showed again why he is the best drummer in the big four, thanks to a raucous and energetic rendition of "Fight Em Til You Can't", and Anthrax stole the show thanks to their back catalogue, though fell far short on the spectacle front, as Kreator felt like they had put a headliner level show. A big part of me feels it would be good to see the band take bigger risks in terms of setlist and production; as good as an Anthrax gig is, with the amount of performances they've done since reuniting with Belladonna, it's hard to imagine there being a big section of the audience who haven't seen this show at least once already.

With Scott Ian making it three for three of bands reminiscing about the times they had played the venue previously, it was evident why the sold out show hadn't been upgraded to a larger venue as had been previously speculated, with each band wanting to connect with the history this venue offered.

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Emerging from the show to find many of the trains I use had been cancelled thanks to the storm, I had to take one hell of a detour to make it home. Still, it was worth it, having seen easily the tour of the year. With this week being a mix of old and new, metal is in rude health, and long may it continue.