LIVE FROM THE PIT: Delain and Damian Wilson

As the lights dimmed in Manchester’s New Century Hall, the energy was almost

palpable as fans flocked to the barricade in excitement to see another night of

symphonic metal courtesy of the Netherland’s own, Delain. However, this wasn’t just

any old gig as this tour marked the debut of the Dutch quintet’s newest editions,

vocalist Diana Leah and bassist Ludovico Cioffi, who were set to make their

Mancunian debut tonight. Despite this though, the excitement of it all was shattered

by a widespread feeling of confusion as the opening act, Damian Wilson sauntered

up on stage with his... acoustic guitar.

You’re probably thinking right now “an acoustic guitar...But Delain are a metal

band?” and believe me, so was the rest of the crowd. From the moment he uttered

his first sentence “My name’s Damian Wilson and I live in a van!” and began to play

his first song, you could almost hear the people's eyes squint and eyebrows crunch

together as everyone began to think “is this seriously the warmup act?”

Being an opening act is never easy but being an opening act for a band that is a

completely different genre to you, now that’s just unfair, but believe it or not, Damian

Wilson took on the challenge like a true champion and with his intimate acoustic

numbers, stand-up anecdotes and witty charm, he won over the crowd like it was

nothing.

It was towards the end of his initial set that a member of the stage crew shuffled to

the front to inform Wilson that the second opening act, Stone Broken, couldn’t make

their set due to Vocalist/Guitarist Rich Moss falling ill and that it was up to him to

keep the crowd happy for another 20 completely improvised minutes. Considering

that not only was there a fair number of Stone Broken fans in the audience, but that

the rest of his set was completely improvised, Damian Wilson can confidently say

that he did a good day's work as a warm up act that night as by the end of his set the

crowd couldn’t stop talking about what a tremendous show he had put on despite all

the odds that were stacked against him.

Being an opening act is hard enough; it takes real stones to win over a crowd that

isn’t there for you but to do essentially two acoustic sets, one being completely

improvised, opening for a symphonic metal band and to have the crowd love you by

the end of it. That takes some real talent, and Damian Wilson showed that night that

he’s definitely got it.

As the lights dimmed, eager anticipation swept across the crowd as all the members

of Delain bar Diana Leah walked up on stage to set up. It was as if they themselves

knew Leah’s vocals were going to be critically judged by everyone throughout the

night, hence why they decided to open with a song that sounded like the most

definitive opening track of all time, The Cold.

The gradual building of instrumentals sounds like if a metal song was fused with a

fantasy movie soundtrack which did a tremendous job of building anticipation of

Leah’s entrance. As she strutted on stage to effortlessly bash out a few oldies to get

the crowd going, it was clear that Leah was in her element. She sounded strong and

prominent yet never as if she was straining herself to give it her all. The way she

effortlessly knocked down single after single within the group's discography, you

couldn't tell that these tracks technically weren’t hers; however, she wasn’t done just

yet. As the band ventured into their more recent tracks, any doubt in the group's

capability was swiftly shut off with their performance of The Reaping.

(https://youtu.be/wC2d18Fxe4o?si=aP2g7491paoGPYnu) (link to music vid of The

Reaping)

There’s something amazing about how the melodies of Delain’s latest EP translate

so seamlessly into a live setting. Considering that it was released only 2 weeks

before the show (meaning that most of the audience didn’t know the lyrics to sing

along) The Reaping showcases just how catchy Delain’s latest tracks are. With

keyboard and guitar riffs that are so punchy and addictive, when you pair them with

excellent strobe lighting and an absolute visual masterclass in headbanging from

both Leah and Cioffi, you find yourself anticipating the verse more than the chorus

just for that thick guitar riff to come crashing through the monitors.

Despite not every song holding the same amount of pure aggression within its

melodies, Delain has ensured that this isn’t an issue for them. See, what symphonic

metal lacks in ferocity and emotion it makes up for in refinery and excellence and

Delian’s live shows are a prime example of this. Between the various illuminating

instruments to match the equally erratic light shows or the beautifully mixed

instrumentals that provide a carefully crafted base for Diana Leah to elevate her

vocals to heights that really pierce through your soul whenever there’s a key change

(Aswell as bringing back the crowd favorite, Damian Wilson for Your Body Is a

Battleground, a very nice touch indeed). These guys know how to curate and put on

a headlining act which feels fierce and powerful yet also refined and elegant.

Words: Alex Walden