Just a few days ago, Black Veil Brides took to the Apex Stage at Download Festival, and absolutely crushed it. In terms of mid-afternoon festival sets, it was a pretty optimal display—lean and airtight, for a perfect showcase of this band at their best. And that’s such a positive sign when Black Veil Brides really haven’t been operating at that level in a while. It’s been there in patches, where the intersection of hair-metal and metalcore always strikes a blow or two, but rarely more on a full-length basis.
With new album Vindicate, though, things seem to have taken a serious turn. Not only is it their best work in a helluva long time, but it seems be getting embraced as such, too. At tonight’s Liverpool show, there’s no shortage of obscene, dyed-black fringes and heavy makeup, as if their bearers haven’t seen the outside world since the Black Veil Brides renaissance of 2011. Granted, the Arts Club is a much smaller space than this band tends to occupy. It’s one of a handful of special post-Download shows, billed just as much as a fan experience than a regular concert. Evidently, that’s woken up more than a few sleeper agents in the city, because buzz around Black Veil Brides hasn’t felt this concentrated in ages.
Even Saint Agnes get a bit of that love bathed upon them, though that would’ve likely happened anyway. There’s enough composite darkness and harshness to go down smoothly with this crowd, with hard lights and an equally unfriendly monochrome backdrop. Saint Agnes definitely know how to set a scene for themselves and bolster how fired-up they sound. Kitty A. Austen represents that best, as visual intensity fills in for when she can’t quite break through this rampart of sound. Amid the slamming, industrial cacophony, she’s either screaming bug-eyed and thundering ahead, or leaning Reznor-esque on her mic stand when freed from her guitar. Meanwhile, guitarist Jon James Tufnell and bassist Ryan Brown always seem to be flailing about in one direction or another. It’s ceaselessly oppressive in sound and vision, just as Saint Agnes likely wanted, and when closer The Father, The Son And The Holy Beast crescendos from stern, naked emotion to filling every spare millimetre in the room, it’s clear how hard they’ve nailed it.
In truth, though, this is Black Veil Brides’ night. It always was. The ‘fan experience’ element guarantees that, taking the form of multiple Q&A sessions and back-and-forths between Andy Biersack and his adoring crowd. They’re also where the night shines the brightest, thanks to how charismatic and genuinely funny Biersack is. It borders on crowdwork at the time, where he’s not afraid to razz and snip at the crowd when necessary, with really strong comedic timing and metre to boot. And when you hear some of these questions (I hope the individual who asks “Is cereal a kind of soup?” realises they’ll never get an opportunity like this again), you’ll understand it’s deserved. Either some people’s main character syndrome needs to be kept in check, or the Black Veil Brides fanbase hasn’t gotten less obnoxious over the years.
Nevertheless, these are still great moments, and could carry an appearance like this on their own. Biersack just has that energy about him—a musician with stories to tell, but effortless and approachable in doing so. His recollections of various run-ins with Glenn Danzig are flat-out hilarious, as are his justified snipes at ‘Verb The Noun’ bands who hated him back in the day (“Most of those guys all work at gas stations now”). There’s a bit of ego to it, but it’s not not earned. After all, we have the blessing of Creeper in attendance tonight, acknowledged after numerous comments about how cool it would be for them to be on a Black Veil Brides tour. Heavy hints point towards that newly-announced UK run in January; just sayin’.
Plus, Black Veil Brides are still a remarkably tight unit musically. Even if they’re more cramped than usual, there’s enough revved-up gumption to make this feel big and significant. The Arts Club’s sound heavies it up significantly, too, especially Lonny Eagleton’s bass and fill-in drummer Wade Murff’s percussion. You’d never think someone who last drummed for Godsmack would be as punchy and powerful as this, but there you go. As for Biersack, he does find himself a bit tied-up in the mix, but his timbre is unmistakable even amid it. Right from opener Knives And Pens, he’s still got presence in totality, and a scream that manages to cut through whatever and whenever it needs to. Even this far out of their comfort zone, Black Veil Brides’ cohesion really can’t be faulted.
Altogether, it makes for a set with nothing that stands out as an obvious weakness. New songs come affixed with a solid metalcore foundation that benefit within this environment, while the hits of old still carry their shine. Saviour, pared back to just Biersack and guitarist Jinxx, does exceptionally well in that regard. But really, when the likes of Rebel Love Song and The Legacy still slide into their high-octane power-rock mould after a decade-and-a-half, that’s where the real rippers come from. A closing, towering In The End—in which the band don masks and Biersack makes one final quip (“I don’t wanna hear anything about Sleep Token”)—reinforces just how mighty Black Veil Brides can still feel in 2026. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s good to finally be back here
Words by Luke Nuttall
Photos by Faye Roberts (Instagram)
