Bullet for My Valentine

I have been a fan of Bullet for My Valentine for a long time, so when I was alerted that they were coming to Leicester on their "Venom" tour (along with two of my other favourite bands; Coldrain and While She Sleeps) I immediately set to obtaining a ticket.

This was the first metal gig I had ever been to so I wasn't really sure of what I was in for.

The O2 Arena, where the concert was hosted, was completely packed with fans of all three bands, the energy from the crowds overwhelming from the very moment I stepped inside. I was one of the youngest and smallest people there, so I managed to worm myself through the tight crowds until I was quite near the front.

The concert began with warm-up acts Coldrain and While She Sleeps, who were both true to their purpose, making me only more psyched for the headlining act.

When Bullet took to the stage, the small venue was even more packed than before, with hundreds of fans all chanting the band's name. They kicked off the concert with "Raising Hell" to which the crowds proudly raised their fists and sang along to.

The flashing, colourful lighting made the whole venue seem to flicker in and out of existence as the crowd and mosh pits danced and jumped around to the heavy beat.

The band tore through their song list, including songs from all four of their albums, including "Scream, Aim, Fire" and "All These Things."

When the opening of "Tears Don't Fall" crashed around the venue, the crowd went wild; their singing near drowning out the music itself.

As we all filed out, bruised, soaked in beer, and with hoarse voices aching; I couldn't help but think that it was the best concert I had ever been to. If you have not yet gone to a Bullet gig- I'm telling you- buy a freakin' ticket.

Not known for their charisma, Bullet for My Valentine continue to sell out venues on the strength of their music and the intense manner in which they recreate it onstage. The Welsh rockers have only released four albums over their long career but there is a sense of quality over quantity. The audience are made up of intense fans and from the opening bars of 'Raising Hell' they proudly raise their arms in unison and rock along with the frontman Matt Tuck.

The group tears through a setlist that reaches from all years of their career and delight fans with classics such as '4 Words (To Choke Upon)' and 'Scream Aim Fire' which the crowd sing back at deafening levels. All that could outdo the sound created by this thousand strong backing choir is the huge guitars and drums that create gargantuan instrumentals onstage. The stage setup and performance is all incredibly scarce for a band of BFMV's status yet there is a sense that they prefer to let the music speak for them as opposed to the show.

When the opening bars to 'Tears Don't Fall' begin, even the lighting and stage itself seem redundant to the fans as all they are interested in is this fantastic piece of rock. With their throats sore from singing and bodies bruised from moshing, the audience file out in excited chatter about one of their best gig experiences.

Bullet For My Valentine are a four piece heavy metal band that plays just as aggressively as their name suggests. Hailing from Wales, these guys are far from your typical Welsh boys: Bullet For My Valentine are incredibly intense and are famous for rocking out (hard) on stage. They are obviously incredibly passionate about what they do and this translates on stage. They put all their energy in to their performances and into their instruments. Frontman Matt Tuck has great, powerful vocals and the rest of the band are incredibly talented musicians. They played a whole array of songs that spanned their entire career, from their early years to their latest tracks. The stage lighting was as intense as the performances and really added to the atmosphere of the night. The set itself was minimal which let the lights and, most importantly, the music do all the talking. Or screaming, I should say. The band belted out ‘Raising Hell’, ‘Scream Aim and Fire’ and ‘Temper Temper’ to wild cheers and screams from their devoted fans. ‘All These Things’ was a particular highlight, as the whole crowd sang along.

The thing about Bullet For My Valentine is definitely not the energy they show on stage, they practically stand still. It's the ability to catch the energy from the albums and make the music speak for itself.

I saw them first time in 2008, when they released "Scream Aim And Fire" which was their true breakthrough to become the arena-band they deserve to be. The record was so good they skipped a lot of old songs and in later years, when they released "Fever" and especially after "Temper Temper", they realised that the true fans would always show up no matter what.

The audiences slowly became smaller but the sheer joy from the fans would never fade, the screams are not more silent and BFMV started to play more old favourites instead of just play new records. "All These Things" and "Hand Of Blood" sound fantastic when everyone sing it with passion.

I've seen them on five different occasions and I can't stop going to their concerts. The music is just too good.

The venue was small (Hard Rock in Sioux City, IA) and even Tuck mentioned how small it was right away, but the show was full of fun. Band sounded great and the new bass player knocked it out of the park vocally and bringing the energy. This was my second time seeing them live.

I may be a little biased being such a huge BMFV fan but they rocked it throughout. I personally thought it was a short setlist, but that's only due to me liking so many of their songs. The setlist was cohesive, made a ton of sense musically and basically shredded the entire night with only a couple of the slower tunes they provide. I recommend anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in these guys from Wales to go check them out. You (I imagine) will not come out of it disappointed. I cannot wait to see them again

Well that was so great than I can tell. BFMV is my favorite band ever ; I was 16 when I've discover it. That was my first concert. I'm almost 23, and I've seen the band became more aggressive...for my biggest pleasure.

Last night (20/11/2016 AB) spent so quick. 1h20 was like 10mns. The better songs have been played. I have jumped, screamed, sang all along. The crowd was like an unique crazy men. I've been squashed and pushed for my biggest pleasure. Just so perfect metal fans union.

Thank you so much to Matt, both Michael and Jamie for that show. A part of me is still there, enjoying. I'm quite sad about the fact the concert is over.

IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST CONCERTS I'VE EVER BEEN TO IN MY WHOLE LIFE AND I WISH I COULD GO BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BFMV FUCKING ROCKS \m/
They played so many great songs, sadly none from Temper Temper, but they played their new song 'Don't Need You' and totally rocked it! They were so full of energy and there was not a single moment where I did not want to bang my head or scream at the top of my lungs or put my arms in the air! First row was fucking great and I'd totally watch them again! Also, the meet&greet I won along with some other fans was so cool! That day was one of the best days in my life <3

Their concert at The Eatons Hill Hotel was awesome, i have been to many concerts and theirs was the best by far. I would definitely go and see them again even though it was brutal with crowd surfers and people do the Death Row/Run well that is what we call it over here but people might call it the wall of death. I woke up sore the following day but it was well worth it. I have been waiting for years to see them and definitely got my moneys worth. They were bloody awesome.

It was OK. I expected to be more energetic and charismatic, but they were fine. I am comparing to Three Days Grace show that was in the same stage and it was waaaaay more energetic and better. Also a lot of discomfort was by some drunk dudes that were mashing like everything without thinking about the rest. Of course its normal for this kind of concert, but I was going there rather to listen and sing great songs instead of protecting my girlfriend from random injuries.

It was awesome. They played a mix new and old songs so you could enjoy the songs you know and love and get to know their newer work. BFMV played loud, played the crowd and the crowd returned the favor with energy.

Killswitch Engage played before Bullet for my Valentine. It sounded better than their albums which quite impressive since this is usually not the case.

Overall very good show and pretty nice venue (013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands)