Artist: Lahannya

Venue:  Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle

Date: 24 November 2009  

Aren’t gigs like buses at times?  One day nothing comes around and then suddenly four or five arrive in quick succession, and that what’s happened in the last week of November.

First of four shows for us found us attending a local gig at Trillians Rock Bar in Newcastle for Alternative Goth Metallers Lahannya.  A band that has made an impression on us since a chance Myspace blog which saw us catch the band at Legends in Newcastle a year ago.

The band have recently releases their latest album ‘Defiance’ and this tour was in support of this excellent album.

I was really looking forward to hearing the new songs performed live as on album they were very impressive.  Although I did wonder whether the band would be able to project them live in the manner I expected, and answer was you bet they could!

Opening with new album opener ‘Dying Inside’, it was clear that live the band really put 110% into their live shows, with vocalist Lahannya the main focus of the audiences attention, whilst the powerhouse rhythm section of Lutz Demmler and Belle on bass and drums respectively give the band a solid foundation.  This also allows guitarist Chris Milden the opportunity to shine and really burn up the fret board, adding that Metal vibe to the bands sound.

The new album was once again the focus with the superb ‘Sick And Tired’.  Again the track is great on CD but live it really rocks big style.

It was time to delve in the bands past for ‘Charade’ before the storming electro vibe of ‘Welcome To The Underground’, which is taken from their EP of the same name.  Again a stunning live performance which seem to shock those in the audience as Lahannya urged them to come down the front, stating that she didn’t bite.

Next it was back to the new album for the darker vibed ‘Kill Me If You Can’ before bringing the pace back up again for ‘No Tomorrow’, both great songs that show the band have more layers than you’d expect.

Returning to their older material it was back the older electro vibe with ‘Wait For Me’, although it was the new songs that really shone for me, with ‘Interference’ being one of the highlights of the show for me.

The band put a spin on the waltz with the excellent ‘Open Your Eyes’, again taken from the new album.  This song really showcases the diverse nature of the 'Defiance' album.  A real stormer of a track.

The band then produce another highlight with what is probably their best known song ‘Inside The Machine’.  Again a really heady piece before rocking through on ‘Burn’, with Demmler pushing the bass lines to the limits while Milden just melted the fret board.

The band finished off their set in style with ‘Doors’, a real show stopper of an ending which rounded off another great set from a band with great promise.  Already I find myself excited at the prospects of seeing what new material they have in store for us for 2010 and the shows that might follow.

If you see the band advertised playing in a venue near you I would highly recommend checking them out because they are destined for greater things.  Definitely a band on the up.  

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.