CROSSFAITH – THE UNDERWORLD – LONDON – 08/05/2013 – REVIEW
On April 20th 2012, a little known metalcore unit from Osaka, Japan, named Crossfaith, hit the UK for the very first time supporting California’s own metalcore outfit Of Mice and Men. Fresh to the scene, they managed to blow crowds off their feet with their masterful blend of metal and electronica, and their extraordinary display of showmanship. Not long after, the band returned for yet another tour, this time with home brewed While She Sleeps. Armed with a thirst for the energy only the United Kingdom can offer, and a growing number of supporters, Crossfaith made it clear that they were here to leave their mark on the UK metal scene, showing no sign of letting up any time soon. Then, on April 25th 2013, the Osaka giants landed in Blighty for the third time, joining Bring Me The Horizon on their ‘It’s The Start Of The End’ tour. But this time round the support slot was not enough, as on May 8th, Crossfaith took to The Underworld stage for their first ever London headline show supported by Polar, We Butter The Bread With Butter, and Hacktivist.
We first saw Crossfaith during their set at the Camden Crawl back in May 2012. It was a free open air show under the bridge of Camden Gardens with only a handful of attendees, still they gave it their all and made it one of most energetic and intimate performances I saw all that year. This time around, when I arrived at The Underworld I saw a queue of avid fans stretching round the venue, and the neighbouring pub anxiously waiting to get into the action; suffice to say, they’ve had quite the upgrade.
Supports provided an excellent start to the night, stirring up the pits and getting the crowd ready for the main event. Crossfaith rushed head first into the evening with the hard-hitting ‘Monolith’, one of the main stand out tracks from their 2012 EP ‘Zion’, and a surge of energy rushed through the crowd, packing the front in tightly as the pit promptly opened. After quickly grabbing everyone’s attention with a strong start to the set, they quickly moved onto ‘Jägerbomb’. Catchy, fast, and aggressive, if this didn’t get the remainder of the crowd moving, nothing will. Next up ‘Quasar’, the fastest paced track, and a personal favourite from Zion. At this point the crowd were at full swing with fists flying and humidity rising, and we weren’t even a third of the way through the set.
Taking a step back into the earlier days of their discography, ‘Snake Code’, ‘Mirror’, and ‘The Dream, The Space’ were up next. Though less developed than their newer material, they still manage to set even the newcomers off, singing along with their fists in the air with the rest of them.
Soon after, it was drummer Tatsuya’s time to shine. If you’ve ever seen Crossfaith before then you know Tatsuya likes to put on a show by playing one of the best drum solos Japan has to offer. Fused with electronic samples and dubstep-esque beats courtesy of Tamano, the crowd watched in awe as Tatsuya delivered one of the biggest highlights of the evening.
As the solo drew to a close, frontman Ken took charge once again, hyping up the crowd for the next song, a cover of Essex dance-punk troop Prodigy’s classic ‘Omen’. Blending seamlessly with the bands metal elements and Ken’s booming vocals, this served as the perfect track to get the chants going and feet moving once again.
Two songs left to go and the final tracks from Zion, ‘Photosphere’ and ‘Leviathan’. With the end of the show imminently lurking just round the corner, the crowd gave it their final push and so the band responded, really showing their fans what they’re made of.
As the lights faded and the band left the stage, the roars of “encore!” instantly spread, bringing Crossfaith back on stage for their final song of the night, ‘Stars Faded In Slow Motion’, marking the end of their third UK tour.
Crossfaith have always managed to amaze me. They have gone from support act, to sell out headliner in the space of a year, growing their ever increasing fan base with every show by giving the crowd a powerful performance that will stick in their minds for years to come. Their sets are always well varied, featuring the best tracks from all their releases thus far and this night was no different. Judging by the sweat on tour manager Adam’s face by the end of the show, who served as crowd control throughout, it was clear that Crossfaith know what the crowd wants and how to deliver it in the most effective way that ensures a mad night full of some of the greatest metalcore around. We’ve seen many Japanese acts make their way to the UK over the past few years, but none of them have made such a big impact on the UK as Crossfaith have. This 5-piece group from Osaka have come a long way over what has essentially been a short amount of time, managing to make a name for themselves where others have failed, and better developing their live performance with every show they do, creating one of the best concert experiences you will ever find in the genre. With a new album coming this summer and a slot at Warped Tour 2013 already announced, this definitely isn’t the end for Japan’s most internationally successful metal unit of recent years, and I’m sure we can expect another UK tour in the months to come!
Words and photos by Charles Shepherd