“Alright people,” declares Peter Tägtgren, frontman of Pain, as the band kicks off the bluesy romp of “Have A Drink On Me.” “We’ve got some more stupid shit for you.”
Not quite. What began nearly three decades ago as a side project for Tägtgren, famed for his death metal roots, has evolved into a day-glo thing that isn’t like anything else, not really.
The set opens with “It’s Only Them,” pulsating with an infectious electro energy. From there, “Don’t Wake The Dead” delivers one of the night’s catchiest moments, a goth-tinged anthem, while “Call Me,” with its slashing riffs and power-metal swagger, is followed by “Zombie Slam,” which oozes Misfits-inspired attitude.
All inside 20 minutes.
Pain’s versatility is on full display as “Suicide Machine” takes an unexpected turn into disco-infused territory, before the horror movie soundtrack vibes of “I’m Going In” give the set a darker edge. “Go With The Flow” brings theatrical flair, complete with costume changes and eerie industrial beats that reflect Tägtgren’s delight in stepping out of the studio and onto the stage.
The heaviness returns with “Same Old Song,” a no-nonsense blast of energy, and by the time the techno-metal anthem “The Great Pretender” rolls around, fists are in the air, proving that if your local club ever needed a metal night, Pain would be the ultimate house band.
With a live band firing on all cylinders and enormous screens amplifying the atmosphere, Pain’s performance feels like a full-scale event. “Party In My Head” delivers pure fun; its neon day-glo costumes evoke a Eurovision fever dream—albeit one you actually want to watch.
As the set draws to a close, the ferociously heavy intro of “Let Me Out” reminds the audience that Pain can switch gears with ease, blending playful theatrics with serious sonic power. A zombie mascot ushers in the night’s finale, “Shut Your Mouth,” a track that embodies the band’s signature catchy, heavy, and raw aesthetic.
In the end, Tägtgren and company prove that Pain is a celebration of the strange, the heavy, and the fun.
As they take their bows with Frank Sinatra playing, the line “I did it my way” never seemed more appropriate.
Proof, if ever it was needed, that there’s undeniable pleasure in Pain.
Bathed in the same vibrant green that adorned their latest album cover, The Halo Effect set the tone for the evening even before they hit the stage, with an intro tape that was a spectacle in itself.
When the opening notes of “March of the Unheard” kicked in, the show elevated to a new level. If you’re familiar with their pedigree, you know they’re masters of the live stage. If you’re not, it doesn’t matter (and we’re not going through the cliché of who they are and were)—within minutes, the sheer quality speaks for itself. The churning riffs of “Feel What I Believe” are all you need to understand just how special this band is.
Frontman Mikael Stanne is a fascinating presence. His warm, almost conversational stage banter contrasts sharply with the primal growls of his voice, as showcased in “In Broken Trust,” where the melodic side of their melodic death metal blend shines through.
A twin-guitar attack heralded “The Needless End,” and Stanne’s dry humour was on display as he smiled and introduced it as “another old one” (despite it being only a couple of years old). From there, the show moved back to their new record with the ferocious “Detonate”—a track that embodies the raw energy that seems to define The Halo Effect’s DNA. If you need more proof of their intensity, look no further than “Conditional.”
It’s impossible to ignore how phenomenal their song intros are. “Cruel Perception,” another cut from the new album, begins with an absolute gem of an introduction, full of light and shade that keeps the momentum fresh.
Their arena experience comes to the forefront on tracks like “A Truth Worth Lying For,” which feels massive, complete with a singalong moment.
Just when you think they’ve peaked, “Become Surrender” ramps things up another notch. And then “What We Become” shifts gears, slowing to a gallop that’s still more immediate than standard Gothenburg death metal fare.
Even by their standards, “Gateways” delivers a next-level, fists-in-the-air moment.
The oppressive strings that open “Last of Our Kind” set the tone for the heaviest track of the night—a song that towers over the rest with its sheer weight. The main set, which began with the title track, fittingly closes with one too: “Days of the Lost.” It’s a five-minute encapsulation of everything great about The Halo Effect, right down to the ferocious beatdown.
But it’s not quite over. The encore of “Shadowminds” is a primal explosion, kicking off with a commanding “let’s go!”—and they deliver.
When I saw them open for Machine Head in autumn 2022, I wrote, “There’s something about The Halo Effect that you can’t fail to recognise as being excellence.” Tonight did nothing to change that opinion—it only reinforced it.
