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Livestream Review: AVATAR Ages – Age of Madness

Swedish metal band AVATAR venture into the world of livestream concerts with their ‘AVATAR: Ages’ series and put on a creative and powerful show.

A man stumbles out of the storm towards you. The rain covered windows show him advancing towards the house before the doorknob rattles.

Red letters fill the screen, announcing:

WHEN YOU CANNOT COME TO US

WE COME TO YOU

LET US IN

I SAID… LET US IN!

The door is kicked open and the man strides in wearing a long red coat, his face decorated with black paint. He strides through a room full of pink doors, another reminiscent of Twin Peaks with its red curtains and black and white floor, and discovers his fellow band members in the third room, AVATAR lighting up the wall behind them. Arriving at the final room, he descends on the red contraption in the centre with a maniacal grin.

With a crank of the handle, the first strains of Hail The Apocalypse can be heard and the show begins.

Lead vocalist Johannes Eckerström spends the song separated from his bandmates, guitarists Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, drummer John Alfredsson and bassist Henrik Sandelin. Tonight is the aptly titled ‘Madness’ show, featuring songs from the Black Waltz and Hail The Apocalypse albums; the third of 4 livestreams throughout January, each focusing on different material from their catalogue.

The band put their love of theatrics to good use, wearing colourful circus style jackets and combining earnest playing with character performance. Eckerström is the ringleader of this demented troupe, chasing Alfredsson around the set and pushing Jarlsby into position for the start of Let It Burn. There is much synchronized windmilling of hair and Jarlsby and Öhrström complement each other with matching guitars.

AVATAR make full use of the various rooms at their disposal, changing location based on the tone of the songs. Eckerström unsettles and entertains you, displaying childish excitement, reckless abandon and aggressive ferocity. He carries a handful of balloons during fairground-inspired Black Waltz, performs a solitary piano version of the sinister Tower and plays a trombone with glee during Puppet Show.

This pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on our lives, and for many musicians their main source of income and their very livelihoods are struggling. At this moment in time, however, the band’s playing is accurate, passionate and full of joy – they are finally playing live again.

This catharsis and emotion is captured by Eckerström, who tells the audience:

“We’ve spent some time now feeling like the least essential workers there is, on this or any other planet. I guess there is no-one less essential than us. Still, to be perfectly honest, it feels pretty damn essential to us to get to do what we love to do.”

JOHANNES ECKERSTRÖM

Tonight we have access to a part of AVATAR’s weird and fantastical world, and it proves we need musicians to survive, now more than ever. They soundtrack our lives and a shared love of music means we support them in being able to do what they love. No longer being able to attend gigs in person makes livestream concerts crucial to the band’s survival, and for many people, myself included, their music makes our lives infinitely better.

AVATAR concluded their Ages series with their Age of Memories show on January 30th. You can find out more about the band on their website: https://avatarmetal.com/

Frances Butler

Posted on by butler_frances

Live Review: The Neutrinos and Birds Of Hell

(Originally published in Outline.)

The Neutrinos played their first ever gig in the now-defunct Fat Pauly’s in 1998 – and have been bravely pioneering their art-rock sound and unique live experience ever since. Fellow musician Peter Murdoch’s Birds Of Hell, originally conceived as an acoustic solo project, are playing tonight as a full band. Whilst both acts have 20 years of experience under their collective belts, tonight is a fresh opportunity for them to continue pushing sonic boundaries, promoting their new singles.


The night begins with a set which is atmospheric, energetic and surprising – an apt description of Birds Of Hell’s electronic, guitar driven and sometimes comedic catalogue. Quirky stage outfits seem to be a penchant of theirs, as although the set starts with several band members wearing matching shirts, it later evolves into striped sweatbands with Murdoch relating some of the many reasons – such as terrible hangovers – we tend to avoid strenuous exercise (or anything that could be construed as sport), whilst ferociously pumping his arms in a red tracksuit. A fine example of their genre blending ability is the performance of new single ‘Do I Get to Ride on a Unicorn?’ The original track features Murdoch’s mother singing, but this time Neutrinos’ frontwoman Karen Reilly provides the vocals, as well as two tambourines.

Photo: Frances Butler


The Neutrinos have performed everywhere from animal hospitals to a sold-out residency at London’s Royal Festival Hall, and played in complete darkness at The Sainsbury Centre. Having previously described Norwich Arts Centre to Outline as a “home away from home”, tonight they are on familiar ground for their ever unfamiliar show. They open with the smallest of sounds: a slow and steady bassline from Jon Baker; the ringing of a Bakelite phone on one side of the stage; and the band move as little as possible. Karen remains stationary as the song builds up and then back down again; lulling the audience into a false sense of security before letting loose with a wall of sound. It’s difficult to place them in any one genre – they remain constantly fluid, moving from electronic to funk and back again, full-fledged rock to quiet, softly sung vocals.


Whilst it’s clear they are all accomplished musicians, it’s Karen who commands the audience’s attention, whether in a literal sense – throwing metal plates and cups into the crowd because they “make a great noise” and asking them to throw them back before the song ends – or just by allowing herself space to breathe after the end of a particularly energetic song. In contrast to the polarity of the rest of their set, and after repaying the favour by inviting Birds Of Hell on stage, their closing song is calm, retrospective and a little melancholy – with only Karen’s vocals and some isolated piano notes from Baker.
Throughout the night, the mutual respect between the two bands becomes clear when they share the stage, feeding off each other’s energy and championing each other’s work. I went into this show with open eyes and ears and left feeling inspired, impressed and a little confused – but in the best way. One thing is for certain: a Neutrinos show is never what you expect it to be – and the only way to discover that is to go and experience it for yourself.

Photo: Frances Butler

Words and photos: Frances Butler