Live Review: King 810 - O2 Academy, Oxford 24/02/2018
Notorious hardcore band King 810 have spent the last few weeks touring the United Kingdom after spending a few years away; the destination of their final show was Oxford!!
A healthy line awaited us as we strolled up to the O2 Academy in Oxford this fine but chilly evening, a majority already donning the infamous King mask that all members of their crew wear!! Support for this short tour around the UK were all female mettallers Courtesans, their melodic array of songs drifted throughout Oxford this evening; it was quite obvious that most of the crowd were unfamiliar with Courtesans and their songs but by the end of the set everyone was getting involved. The biggest crowd reaction came during songs like ‘Feel The Same’ and ‘Mesmerise’, both had people pumping fists and shouting in approval.
A definite win for this bands first show in Oxford!
A lengthy wait as the crew dismantled the stage to leave just a drum kit infront a large black curtain, a long intro boomed from the speakers including a retro clip explaining the title of King 810’s latest album before frontman David Gunn’s iconic voice screeched out of the darkness as the rest of the band took to the stage!
Without hesitation King 810 blasted into the first single they released from “La Petite Mort”, the now classic ‘Alpha & Omega’! cheers could instantly be heard from the crowd as a huge pit opened in the centre of the room, fist started flying when they kicked into ‘Murder,Murder,Murder’ a definite favourite of any King 810 fan! The stage was mostly shroud in darkness for the majority of the show, with flashes of colours piercing through every now and then revealing the Michigan trio; ‘Boogeyman’ and ‘Treading & Trodden’ got the room heaving with excitement before the ever more aggressive ‘Fat Around The Heart’ which had the whole audience singing/shouting along in unison!
A quick step off stage before they returned to the iconic riff that starts ‘Killem All’ which finished this evenings show with great success!!! It took years for King 810 to make their way back across the sea after supporting Slipknot in 2015, we are sure every fan of this band would join us when we say “we hope it doesn’t take that long before they are back in the UK”!
Words and Photography by Joe Dick