June 21st, the date on everybody’s lips here in the UK as that’s the planned date for everything to go back to normal providing there’s no bumps along the road to full vaccination. The one positive outcome of being in lockdown for the past year is the extra time I’ve had to play, review and talk about video games. But now we’re due to be let back outside to taste the fresh air and my head can’t help but revert back to the excitement of getting back into live music once again.
So with that in mind I’ve put together a list of the top 5 bands that I hope to see as soon as physically possible to share with you lovely people. So sit back, relax, flick on some Spotify and join me in getting hyped for finally going back to gigs!
I can’t help but feel that Covid-19 couldn’t have derailed a bands momentum as much as it did for Code Orange. Their latest album Underneath was released March last year pretty much to the day the world shut down. Not only were they restricted from being able to tour and promote the album but the band’s reputation for being one of the most exciting and violent acts on the planet was soon pushed to the backs of our minds given we wouldn’t be seeing gigs anytime soon. Here’s hoping that as soon as those Code Orange kids can get back over here they remind us all just how spectacular they are!
Not too disimilar to Code Orange (in situation not sound!), Creeper find themselves in a difficult position of releasing a top quality album with no way to tour it. It’s mad to me that I’m still yet to hear songs like Annabelle and Be My End live in person despite them being in my life for what feels like an age now, especially given I had Sex, Death & The Infinite Void on repeat for much of 2020! Creeper live is always a blast and currently have a tour planned for next month. It’s clear that we won’t get this tour when planned but I highly expect to be back seeing the boys sometime in the summer and I came wait!
UPDATE: The Creeper tour is now scheduled to take place later in the year, count me in!
The worldwide hype from people in their late twenties/early thirties over the fact they may need to dig out their old eyeliner for the return of MCR was rampant just before the world shut down. The lads from New Jersey had foretold their own prophecy by reuniting in California in 2019 and the tour announced dates that followed were sold out in minutes. Of course this big comeback all came to a halt with the entire world tour being delayed to this year. Speaking on the UK side of things, the rearranged Milton Keynes shows are currently set to take place just days before the complete lift of lockdown.. whether or not they can still go ahead or they get pushed back a few weeks is yet to be seen, but the chances of seeing MCR back on stage for the first time in 9 years seems like a major possibility in the near future.
Anyone who knows me will know that Maiden are my favourite band of all time so of course I can’t wait to see Eddie and the boys back on stages asap! This was originally planned for Download Festival last year but once Download got postponed to 2021 they ended up pulling out entirely due to scheduling conflicts. It is also believed that the band are recording their new (and possibly final) album meaning that performing their scheduled greatest hits set – Legacy of the Beast just wouldn’t fit into their plans as Maiden love a proper album tour. Whether or not we see the new album and tour this year is yet to be seen but I for one will be praying to the metal gods that we do!
UPDATE: Iron Maiden will now play Download Festival 2022! Fuck yeah!
Of course Trivium was going to storm into the top place of this list given the 2020 they had. Even during a pandemic the Florida quartet managed to have a year head and heels above every other band. Whether that was down to the release of my personal album of the year – What The Dead Men Say or the countless live stream performances giving us the closest experience to a gig as possible, Trivium have been a constant with their outstanding output, and that’s not mentioning the band’s individual Twitch streams! With this in mind, Trivium’s return to the UK in November feels like a proper event for me and is a gig I’m already counting down the minutes for, roll on November!
