It was a cold November evening that saw Avatarium play their first ever UK show at the Underworld in Camden, and what a performance it was!
The night got off to a fantastic start with Honeymoon Disease, who brought their own brand of energetic rock and roll to the room and it was a great start to the evening. Although the sound quality wasn’t the best, the sheer amount of energy and momentum to their set was something to behold, and it made the performance really enjoyable as a result. You could really see how much fun the four-piece were having onstage and it was impossible not to have a good time as well. There was just a good feeling about the small venue as they performed, with a particularly high point being the rapturous response the band got when frontwoman Jenna asked the crowd if they wanted a ‘fast song’, before responding with their hard-hitting and punchy number Fast Love.
Up next was The Vintage Caravan, who kept the momentum going with their lively performance. When the three-piece came onstage, with guitarist Óskar and bassist Alexander stationed on either side of the stage with drummer Stefán at the back, it felt like there was a lot of redundant space on the stage in the middle but thankfully this was a short-lived worry because the amount of movement from guitarist and bassist alike was tremendous, with the pair of them making great use of the entire stage as they powered through an almighty set – indeed, all three members gave it their all from start to finish, and it was great to see them putting so much into their show, and by the time they were finished the crowd was suitably warmed up for Avatarium, the main attraction.
The atmosphere was electric as Avatarium took to the stage and the crowd basked in the ambience of the band assembling in position onstage before things got underway with Ghostlight. Frontwoman Jennie looked ethereal and mysterious as she shook her maracas in the air, with white trailing fabric hanging from her outstretched arms, and it made for a very visually engaging beginning to the set before Avatarium continued to the second track of the night, the title track from their brand new album The Girl With The Raven Mask, which saw plenty of the gig-goers singing along to it all.
With Jennie telling the crowd that the Underworld felt like she was performing in a living room, it gave a real sense of inclusion to the performance, with everyone being in this welcoming living room together, which was a theme that continued through the duration of the show. It honestly felt like Avatarium could do no wrong, with each twist and turn of the show being well-received from the audience. One of the set highlights was the inclusion of Pearls And Coffins, a more sorrowful and melancholic song, and you could really feel the sheer emotion that went into the performance, especially on a vocal level.
The set came to a close with Moonhorse before the question of “do you want to hear one more song?” was posed and naturally the room came alive as the opening notes of their self-titled track Avatarium filled the room.
It was a truly magnificent performance from a truly magnificent band – hopefully it won’t be too long before they return to UK shores once more.
9/10
You can read our review of The Girl With The Raven Mask here.
