Photo: Press
After an incredible year touring with Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, and featuring at Slam Dunk, Download Festival and Reading Festival, Beartooth kick off their UK tour in Camden. Hold tight.
Piercing spotlights give way to pitch black darkness punctured by roars of anticipation. The electric tension builds as restless and patience-absent fans prevail. Five figures emerge causing an ear bursting eruption quickly tamed by skilled beyond his years metal master frontman, Caleb Shomo. Silently he motions all those standing to the ground, every soul within Camden’s Electric Ballroom instinctively adopts the position, kneeling before the metal core prophet. ‘The Lines’, first track from their debut album Disgusting gives permission for everyone who dares to lose their minds, a swarm ensues.
“Are we feeling good?” Caleb barks, met with a deafening and unmistakeable response. “It's good to be in London, this is ‘Ignorance is Bliss’. Then ‘Dead’ where we encounter the first of many circle pits, each building with passion and force as daredevils summon their courage. Not satisfied with this, Caleb announces; “I need your attention, at the back and the front. Jump!”
“Oh my god, you are out of your minds!” Caleb observes. Taken as the highest of accolades, the sea of bodies in front of him raise their fists and roars to the sky. “We are Beartooth,” reassuring all that were unprepared for the furious occasion and warning others that they are in fact in the right building. “Was any one at Reading?” Of course we were. “If you were then you know what we're gonna play. Let's see what you can do.” Accepting the challenge, we are rewarded with a sting of relentless hits, ‘Relapsing’, ‘In Between’, and 2012 track ‘Set Me On Fire’.
‘I Have a Problem’, ‘Keep Your American Dream’, and 2013 track ‘Pick Your Poison’ ring out. Caleb pauses to reflect and show that he’s not proverbial metal to the core. “I don't even know what to say. This is a really special day. Sorry, I'm gonna get sentimental. We played here like a year ago to 90 people and look at all of you!”
Rapturous applause is met with the first single released from Disgusting, ‘Beaten In Lips’.
The only moment of restbite is all we have before gathering our strength for the encore we have all been waiting for - the feral insanity of ‘Body Bag’. Beartooth bared all and were matched and then some by their committed following. The mind boggles that we are still on the debut of this band - they're flawlessly tight, with energy levels blasting the roof off while quaking the foundations of the Electric Ballroom.
We said this after seeing them at Reading Festival and we stand by it, this band have stunning promise and potential. If you still aren’t familiar with Beartooth, do yourself a favour and get them in your life at once. You’ll be hearing a lot more of them from now on.
Beartooth's remaining UK tour dates are as follows. For tickets and information, visit here.
Beartooth will play:
November
25 Bristol, Thekla
26 Manchester, Academy 3
27 Glasgow, SWG3
28 Birmingham, Academy 2
