Florence Black // The Virginmarys // Live Review // The Limelight //Belfast
Here we are back at the Limelight Belfast, in the heart of the city on a Saturday night for two banging bands, the glorious Florence Black playing their first ever headline show here in the city and the mighty Virginmarys. Now, both bands have a serious reputation live. Florence Black are no strangers to the city, having played here over the last year, albeit in supporting roles, largely due to demand. They had to come back and do their own thing, and the great news is that demand was so good they had to upgrade the venue!
In supporting roles tonight, The Virginmarys, A band I have been putting press out for years! And I mean years! But one that I’ve never seen in the flesh, tonight that’s all about to change. This hefty duo have been ripping it for years all around the UK and have played these shores before, but alas, we were like ships in the night, but tonight I’ll get to see them up close and personal in the Limelight II.
The band hit the stage early at 7:15. As with all big venues, they don’t just host gigs anymore, but club nights and beyond, so doors open at 7 pm and they hit the stage at 7:15 and get stuck right in! As expected, these guys are everything you’d want a powerhouse two-piece to be, frenetic, passionate, thunderous and tight as a tiger’s ass! They start and stop on a dime! Every song just slams to a stop, and they kick right back into another blistering tune. They have rope lights hanging over the mic stand and drum just to add a little magic to proceedings as if it were needed, not here the music is a feats on the senses, frontman Ally is a powerful vocalist, spring above Danny’s pummelling drums, together the two create a monstrous sound packed with raw emotion, grit and steel to shake the Limelight to it’s foundations. The room is rammed and rightly so, we do love a good support band over here in N.Ireland, and these guys, both known by reputation and from previous visits playing outside the city, can pull a crowd, having seen them I can say out loud they are a band not to be missed. As they wrap up a short but sweet set, I guarantee you Belfast will remember this set, and they will be back in the city headlining their own show within 12 months! And I, for one, shall be there!
https://www.facebook.com/TheVirginmarys
A quick turnaround and we’re ready for Florence Black, it’s great to see ye stage cleared for the lads, as previously in a supporting role, they have been caged into a corner of any stage they have played, so it’ll be nice to see them in all their glory rocking the full width of the LL2 grandiose arena-sized platform! Of course I jest, the LL2 is a legendary venue, the original Limelight as it was back in the day, we would have hit here in our student days with Johnny Hero DJ-ing out rock and metal favourites, Spring And Airbrake was next door now the Limelight 1 the main venues here but here inside the LL2 the layout hasn’t changed an awful lot, so it’s challenges remain and we have a tiny awkward pit and the band a small raised stage. But as a live venue, out there on the other side of the pit barrier, what you get is one seriously intense fan experience right in the face of the artists you had paid to see, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
So, going by previous Florence Black performances, I know this one is going to be full on …. And it is exactly that! From the off, the riffs are as thick as treacle and as tasty as momma’s made buns! Gnarly is the best way to describe them; they are savage live, the energy and intensity are off the charts, and both frontman Tristan Thomas and bassist Jordan Evans just command that stage every second of every song and take it to another level while drummer Perrie Davies just unleashes unholy hell behind the kit.
Florence Blacks live sound is just glorious, as heavy a sound as I’ve heard in quite a while and from a 3 mighty impressive piece, I guess it’s more focused and tighter, but goddam that guitar is so thick, it cuts through the mix like Uma Thurman’s Samurai sword in Kill Bill. It’s just inspiring to hear live, in a rammed room, under that bitching PA laying it all out before us.
As I touched on earlier, getting the opportunity to have a full on Florence Black experience is something pretty special, thus far was have had a taster, a bit like our Virginmary’s this evening, always leaving you wanting more, but tonight we’ll feasting like kings and queens, gorging on a wealth of material that feeds us till we burst, as I look around the room observing the crowd they are in fine form, singing every word of every chorus, Florence Black are relatively new to Northern Ireland playing just a few months apart at the end of 2024 supporting Massive Wagons and then again in early 2025 Supporting Tremonti. Both occasions whet the appetite, but tonight just wipes the floor with any idea as to just how far these guys can take it live. The answer, well, you’ll just have to experience that for yourself, but trust me, the ticket price is worth every single penny of your hard earned money.
https://www.facebook.com/florenceblackUK
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
