Five finger death Punch - Burn down the house!!!

November 28th 2015

London, Wembley SSE Arena, UK

*****

Five finger death Punch put their fists up to terrorists!!!

Five finger death Punch ***** With so many acts pulling their London shows after the Paris attacks, including the co-header Papa Roach, Five finger seath Punch, (FFDP) showed their metal by going on with the show. They managed to pull in some credible support to cover for the bands that dropped out. Skindred, As Lions and Arcane Roots, were plucky enough and available to cover, but it was noticeable that the venue was half empty throughout the support bands.

Either the crowd was a nervous as some of the bands or just disappointed that Papa Roach, among others had decided to pullout. The venue only really felt full just before Five finger death Punch were due to come on stage and there was a slight edge of anxiety, that gave all the performances a strange super reality.

It is always going to be a difficult decision, in which intelligence has to play a huge part, but to me the politics of playing or not playing is clear. If the curtain has been forced down and we stay at home it is a small victory for those behind the attacks. It felt right for FFDP to play their Wembley show and finish their European tour after cancelling shows in Strasbourg and Milan. Putting politics aside, Five finger death Punch were on top form, and played one of the best shows I have seen this year.

‘Lift me up’ was a powerful song to kick off their set with followed by ‘Hard to See’ from the same album ‘The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell.’ This album featured heavily in their set. Songs off of this double album, by far outweighed the songs from their new 2015 album ‘Got Your Six’.

Perhaps the one piece of constructive critique I would offer is that the new album should have been showcased more. We had to wait four songs in to hear the first song off the new album ‘Got your Six’. They could have easily started the show with ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, which was the sixth song into their set and one of the highlights of the show. It has high energy, so I can appreciate why they played it lower down the set, as it is a great moshing tune.

‘Drum Solo’ was spectacular, and as you would expect Five finger death Punch machismo cool was coupled with the wow factor of awesome lighting and stage effects. Lead vocalist Ivan L Moody pulled off a near perfect performance and there was a touching moment where he signed the Irish flag of a fan near the barrier and then went around signing all the flags that were at the front of the crowd.

Jason Hook was impressive on lead guitar and his Mohawk style haircut looked ultra cool. Chris Kael looked almost equally as cool with his Pirates of the Caribbean beard. Both interchanged positions throughout the show switching between stage left and right. Zoltan mainly stayed around the centre and to the left of the stage, so I felt he projected less to the whole audience than either Chris or Jason.

The on stage aesthetics of this band, and the showmanship of each band member are just as important as the music itself. I don’t think the emphasis on image necessarily makes them superficial as a band, a criticism leveled on them by some.

While it is true Five finger death Punch's lyrics could be described as unsophisticated, it is their simplicity which holds it appeal. One level they are simply comic book cool and very entertaining, but on another they touch on something primal. It is an encounter and exorcism of that which is bestial residing within. The music is cathartic in the same way as Tarantino’s movie violence, or perhaps it is like an afternoon shouting from the terraces.

I felt great but strangely relieved by the end of the show, which betrayed the level of my own anxiety. 'Burn it Down' was a great song to end the setlist for me better then ‘The House of the rising Sun’ encore ended on, but then I am not fan of covers.

Five finger death Punch - Setlist
------------------------------------------------
Lift me up
Hard to see
Never enough
Got your Six
Bad Company
Jekyll and Hyde
(Drum Solo)
Burn MF
The Agony of Regret
Wrong side of Heaven
Battle Born
Coming Down
Burn it Down
---------------------
Under and over It
Far from Home
The Bleeding
The House of the rising Sun