Black Veil Brides

Tuesday 14 February 2023, 6:30pm - 10pm

The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA

+ lilith czar + cemetery sun

14+ (under 16’s to be accompanied by an adult over 18)

please note: the accessible viewing area for this show is now FULL

Committed to uncompromising expression, with a foundation in hard rock tradition and rule-breaking iconoclasm, Black Veil Brides is a transcendent celebration of life-affirming power and anthemic catharsis. A gothic vision first summoned in a small town by an isolated kid fascinated with death, rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined), Black Veil Brides is now a postmodern heavy metal institution with a legion of like-minded fans and supporters worldwide.

A new chapter in the band’s ever-evolving story arrives with The Phantom Tomorrow, an ambitious sixth album pushing the music of Black Veil Brides forward without sacrificing their beloved signature sound. Built around a thematically rich story, written by singer Andy Biersack, The Phantom Tomorrow combines imaginative worldbuilding with unrelentingly catchy and melodic bombast. The twin-guitar attack of Jake Pitts and Jinxx cut through with sharp precision, overtop the steady pulse of powerhouse drummer Christian Coma and the fluid, rhythmic dynamics of Lonny Eagleton. Biersack’s rich baritone croon and soaring passion are anchored in the biggest hooks of the band’s career. Recorded in Los Angeles, with producer Erik Ron (Godsmack, Bush, Dance Gavin Dance), The Phantom Tomorrow excels as a series of standalone songs and a cohesive conceptual album.

The band’s strident opposition to conformity and obstacles (from both within and without) strikes a chord with every outcast who felt drawn to the allure of the dark. It’s evident in the 160 million-plus views of “Knives and Pens,” an early demo committed to video before singer Andy had found his band of brothers. The RIAA-certified gold single “In the End,” which itself boasts over 150 million views, is proof that the group whose merchandise dominated Hot Topic stores before they’d even dropped their debut album was no mere passing fad or ill-fated “scene.” This was built to last. The Phantom Tomorrow follows five cherished full-length albums and 2019’s The Night EP, a body of work that boasts modern hard rock anthems like “Faithless,” “Wake Up,” “Perfect Weapon,” and “Goodbye Agony.” The first taste of The Phantom Tomorrow, “Scarlet Cross,” put the band in the Mainstream Rock Top 20 for the first time. Biersack, star of the 2017 film American Satan and follow-up 2021 TV series Paradise City on Amazon Prime, made his directorial debut with “Fields of Bone.” The music videos for both songs illustrate pieces of the story told across the album, mixing the tone of cult comic books, old English horror films, atmospheric thrillers, and thought-provoking ideology.

The world envisioned with the band’s sixth album, accompanying music videos, and related media is rendered with loving detail and nuance. There’s Blackbird, the watchful protector, a champion of justice. 9, leader of the Ninth Circle, an equal but opposite foil to Blackbird. The Phantom Tomorrow is an uprising from the underground, working tirelessly to shake the yoke of authoritarian oppression. Black Veil Brides, the band, plays the role of narrator, the overseeing Brothers Grimm of the dark tale. Even broken away from the sprawling and immersive story, the songs stand on their own with equal might. Tracks like “Torch,” “The Wicked One,” “Crimson Skies,” and “Kill the Hero” are mighty new entries to the Black Veil Brides canon. Each song released by the band in the decade-plus since their first full-length album serves as an empowering anthem, whether wrestling with existential angst, looking inward at heartbreak and despair, or challenging the status quo via post-apocalyptic allegory.

The pushed aside, marginalized, and misunderstood have a kindred spirt in Andy, the driving force and voice of the band. As detailed in his No. 1 Amazon Best Seller rock biography, They Don’t Need to Understand, Andy crafted a platform and an image with the same DIY spirit that drove Generation X, the Misfits, and KISS in their early days. He reached out from beyond the confines of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the dawn of social media, moving to Hollywood when he turned 18. Biersack has made six records with BVB; two solo albums as Andy Black; hosted the Alternative Press Music Awards; created The Ghost of Ohio graphic novel; and collaborated on various songs with Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), and Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio/Blink-182), among others.

Jinxx and Pitts also fought to make their dreams come true in Hollywood through a series of false starts and empty promises. The unique chemistry between them is palpable. Together they forge a guitar sound worthy of their peers and idols, from Metallica to Avenged Sevenfold. Jinxx is also a film composer. Pitts is one half of the DJ duo Dr. Cool and Babe, whose credits include the remix of the Papa Roach song “Elevate.” Both guitarists often help develop and mentor younger artists. Jake and Jinxx played with Coma in a previous band and knew his combination of sizeable charisma and devastating chops would make him a perfect fit for Black Veil Brides. He sat in with Falling In Reverse for a US tour and performed as part of a one-off exclusive Andy Black lineup at the APMAs, with Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance), Quinn Allman (The Used), and Feldmann (Goldfinger). Like Jason Newsted or the movie Rockstar, BVB’s newest member was a fan first. Already an accomplished live and studio musician who performed on the Juno Awards in his native Canada, Eagleton was tapped to play guitar on tour in support of Andy’s second solo album, The Ghost of Ohio, in 2019. When the bassist position opened up, he was a seamless fit as a performer and person.

The band’s tour history reads like a textbook of subcultural mile markers in the modern heavy music scene. An initial hardscrabble headlining outing in 2009 paved the way for multiple mainstage runs on the Vans Warped Tour; treks with Slash, Mötley Crüe, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine; a co-headlining run with Asking Alexandria; multiple US rock festivals, including Rock on the Range and Aftershock; and several appearances at the UK’s acclaimed Download Festival.

Black Veil Brides champion the isolated, dismissed and forgotten ever since the band’s inception. That spirit persists in the fully realized modern incarnation of the band. They’re an object of devotion and obsession for those who sing their anthems in unison, a diverse legion who refuse to surrender.