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EDGUY O2 Islington Academy, London
20 March 2010

Photos by Sonia Waterfield

It's Saturday night and it's party night and German rockers Edguy are the perfect ingredient to launch us on to a rocket ride of fun.

As with most gigs in these smaller venues on a Saturday evening, the proceedings start early and it's London based Inner Eden who have the duty of warming up those who ventured early through the doors at the ungodly hour of 6pm.

Featuring ex-members of Axis Of Evil and Pain Control, Inner Eden are showcasing their newest member on the keys and synths Adrian Carloss who also handles the death growl backing vocals. 

Another female fronted band, with Holly Bolus from Sarf London mate, who seems a little too cute to be fronting this powerful assault of hard kicking riffs and punches that hit you right in the stomach.  Inner Eden have the capability to move up into the next league.

Someone at Earache Records is a lover of the NWOBHM. Having already given us Cauldron, we now get to listen to the delights of the new saints of Los Angeles White Wizzard who help bring the classic sound up to date and beyond.

Having seen them a week earlier at the Hammerfest II, it was good to see the set list tweaked around a bit. Opening up with 'Over The Top',it got us in the mood for battle.  Singer Wyatt 'Screaming Demon' Anderson looks like a young Ronnie James Dio from the side view of the stage.

The epic 'Iron Goddess Of Vengeance' is fast becoming my favourite track. The band must have won themselves many new fans today judging by the amount of t-shirt sales the band did during the interval.  Precious metal indeed.

I first saw Edguy headine the Bloodstock Open Air Festival a few years back and have had a soft spot for them ever since.  Back at this very venue for the second time in fourteen months, the band are stilll promoting the 2008 release of 'Tinnitus Sanctus'.

Opening up with a couple of tracks from that release, Edguy soon put us on familar ground with the classics 'Tears Of A Mandrake' and 'Lavatory Love Machine' which left the audience flushed with happiness.

Tobias Sammet is one of the most charismatic frontmen around today often joking with the crowd and telling us many anecdotes of life on the road, proving that ze Germans do have a sense of humour after all.  Sammet also has a very fine voice almost reaching the high scales of Michael Kiske and Geoff Tate.

Some great guitar work from Jens Ludwig and Dirk Saver who along with bassist Tobias Exxel and drummer Felix Bohnke all had to put up with being the butt of jokes from Sammet.

Ending the main set with a trio of tracks from the excellent 'Rocket Ride' album, the single 'Superheroes', the melodic ballad of 'Save Me' and a rocking 'F#cking With Fire' were all crowd pleasers.

There was no way the crowd was going to let Edguy go for an early bath.  Three encores. 'Sacrifice' another winner from 'Rocket Ride', followed by the forth song tonight from 'Tinnitus Sanctus' in the shape of 'Babylon' which also featured a snippet of Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper' with Sammet giving his best Dickinson impersonation, rounding off with 'King Of Fools', Edguy are exactly that.

Edguy are massive around some parts of the world and they deserve to be here too.

Set List : Dead Or Rock / Speedhoven / Tears Of A Mandrake / Lavatory Love Machine / Vain Glory Opera / The Piper Never Dies / Ministry Of Saints / drum solo / Superheroes / Save Me / F#cking With Fire ..encores Sacrifice / Babylon / King Of Fools

Review by Mark Taylor

Photos by Sonia Waterfield