The Fallen State and Pop Evil
O2 Academy Islington // London, England // 1 March, 2019
Photos and review by Josien van Oostveen
The Fallen State
From the second The Fallen State take the stage, it’s clear they know exactly what they’re doing. Accompanied by fast riffs and lots of hair, they introduce themselves to the crowd already gathered at the small, but cozy O2 Islington. It can be tough for opening bands to play for a crowd that often doesn’t know a single one of their songs, but The Fallen State doesn’t let that stop them.
Lead singer Ben Stenning has a stage presence you can’t help but admire, with a voice that sounds both rough and smooth at the same time and a tendency to try and get as close to his audience as possible from any side of the stage. The band goes through a solid range of rock songs which prove why touring with other bands such as 3 Doors Down and Black Stone Cherry was a perfect fit.
With their current audience being a bit more into metal, I half expected Stenning to be starting a moshpit when he divided the crowd in two, but he instead lead an enthusiastic ‘who can sing it louder’ contest before playing “Burn It To the Ground”. This band is definitely a fun bunch, and they seem like the kind of people you’d want to have a pint (or five) with after the gig. The audience seems to agree because when Stenning asks everyone to get down low for “You Want It”, the majority of the room actually does it. Seeing as how everyone above the age of twelve these days already has trouble kneeling down and getting back up in quick succession, this is no small feat.
While guitars are shredded and drumsticks are thrown about, the band’s infectious energy and quick rhythms do the job of warming up the crowd before the main event. With a new single (“American Made”) coming out March 8th, here’s to hoping the band will be back soon to give us another taste of pure British rock.
Pop Evil
When Pop Evil makes their debut on the small stage, the room has gotten considerably fuller and progressively more drunk. Throughout their entire set, there is a very steady balance between hands throwing up a rock sign and hands hoisting up half-full cups of beer, often both at the same time. Singer Leigh Kakaty makes the full room feel like one big family, referring to the crowd as his ‘brothers and sisters’ and mentioning how much the band loves London multiple times.
The rest of the band gives it their everything as well, with a special mention for Hayley Cramer who absolutely kills it on the drums. Alternating fast drum work with wide, energetic movements of her full upper body while smiling the entire time, it’s a joy to watch her throughout the show. Similarly bassist Matt DiRito is an absolute beast on stage, head banging non-stop in a way that almost had me worried about dealing with second-hand vertigo.
The audience responds enthusiastically to a metal adaptation of “Eye Of The Tiger”, and loudly joins in on every chance they get to scream along to the “oh oh oh’s” of every chorus. “Take It All” seems to be a crowd favourite, and when the band comes back after the encore only to be joined by The Fallen State singer Ben Stenning for last song “Trenches”, it’s clear the gig reaches it’s peak. Everyone, from the people on the floor to all of the people on the stage, are jumping and screaming, and so the show ends on a very high note.
If you’re into the hard-rock side of metal and you love to whip your hair around then a Pop Evil gig is definitely the place to be!
