Live Review : Fury + Crowley + Luke Appleton @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on Friday 14 April 2023

Kicking tonight’s proceedings off in fine style, is last minute substitute Luke Appleton drafted in at the eleventh hour when illness forced Promethium to withdraw from tonight’s show.  No stranger to the UK scene, tonight Luke was in much more reflective form than we are accustomed to seeing from him in his other bands, taking to the stage alone with just an acoustic guitar for company. With Luke’s latest release “Forever Viking” only being released on the day of the gig, half of the set comprised, unsurprisingly of tracks from this EP. This was the first time some of them had been played acoustically and considering the short time to prepare, the performance was particularly impressive.  Luke managed to make an acoustic set both exciting and engaging, not always the easiest of things to pull off.  Throw in an Absolva number, and a cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Out of the Silent Planet’ with Fury’s Julian Jenkins helping out on vocals and the set came to a close all too soon.  

Next up are Newcastle five-piece Crowley.  Taking to the stage with a flourish, it is clear from the off that this is a band that are keen to make an impression – and that’s exactly what they do.  With only a thirty-minute set in which to make their presence felt, they deliver a set brimming with style, conviction and no small amount of panache. If you’re intent on performing this kind of atmospheric, doomy take on classic rock you need the chops to be able to back up that ambition, and on tonight’s showing Crowley have absolutely no problem on that score. 

Lead singer, Lidya Balaban is possessed (pun absolutely intended, considering the occult themes of the band) of a voice of startling power and range, effortlessly weaving in, out and over, Eliza Lee’s and Ruth Cranston’s monolithic riffing to impressive effect.   Theirs is a powerful sound, with huge riffing and powerful locked-in bass and drums that you feel as much as hear, casting you back to the early 70s when Black Sabbath were inadvertently writing the blueprint for dark, heavy music. Even at this early stage in the band’s career, there is a compelling cohesiveness to everything they do, from the 70s aesthetic (all velvet flares, silver platform boots and tasselled leather), to the song titles and subject matter (Pyre, Haunted,) even down to the band’s stylised logo.   

Soon to be released single ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’, shows some more light and shade whilst maintaining the intensity and dark retro vibes.  First single and set closer ‘The Witching Hour’ opens and closes with Lidya letting rip with screams of such intensity and power, that as a statement of intent it is hard to deny. 

Crowley prove that you should always check out support bands, particularly those you have never heard before, as you may witness something special and judging by tonight’s performance this might, just might, be one of those times when you can look back and say   “I saw them back in the early days before they made it really big”… 

Somewhere, in an alternate universe, Fury are playing huge arenas and taking the world by storm.  In this universe however, whilst the Waterloo may be somewhat smaller than say, the Long Beach Arena or the Budokan, Fury still play as if this was the final night of their latest stadium tour.   

There’s a wonderful playfulness to Fury – they’re everything you want a band to be live.  They have great songs, superb musicianship and are endlessly entertaining; but above all they have a sense of fun about what they’re doing.  They look like they’re having fun and as an audience member you can’t help but feel it too and get swept away with that joie de vivre. We’re only on the second song and frontman and ringmaster of the Fury show, Julian Jenkins, is already instigating the first singalong, but you know it won’t be the last. Tonight’s gig is a riot of irresistible audience participation 

Individually each band member is a master of their craft and get their own moment to shine, whilst never detracting from the overall band performance.  Becky Baldwin fresh from her stint with Mercyful Fate, is a whirling bundle of energy, spinning and dancing whilst nailing her bass lines with a dazzling dexterity.  Newly confirmed guitarist Tom Atkinson looks like he’s always been in the band, and has just two expressions, either encouraging the crowd to rock harder or grinning like he can’t quite believe his luck. 

In Julian Jenkins, Fury has a charismatic and electric frontman, teasing and challenging the audience but with an amazingly versatile voice that whilst being perfectly suited to the rock medium can also stray into other more uncommon areas; witness for example, his scat vocals on ‘Casino Soleil’, certainly not something you would ordinarily associate with a metal band  

One of the things that sets Fury apart from other bands is the inclusion in the band of a “co-vocalist” (as Julian introduces her).  Tonight, Jasmin Donovan does a masterful job standing in for the absent Nyah Ifill and the addition of such strong backing vocals on many of the tracks tonight adds a richness, depth and altogether different aspect to the songs which is rare in other bands.  Songs like ‘Embrace The Demons’ really benefit from that extra dimension, with glorious melodies complementing the lead singer. It also allows for a step up to lead vocal when the song demands it, never more so than in the duelling ‘Rock Lives In My Soul’. 

Most of all tonight’s gig is a celebration of everything you love about metal.  It’s colourful, crazy, gloriously over-the-top and thoroughly immersive, whilst being expertly played with passion and conviction.  

That alternate universe knows just how good Fury are, and so does the Waterloo, we just need this universe to catch up… 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Fury, Crowley, Luke Appleton