Live Review

Empire – The Black Heart

• 18th Feb 2015

Camden is the go to area in London for a rock/metal concert that isn’t of arena size, and The Black Heart is probably as intimate a venue as you’re gonna find in the area. And it’s here that Empire took the stage on their headline tour, on the back of their recently released single ‘Patchwork and Bone’.

Supports came from Crystal Seagulls and Two Glass Eyes, the latter of the two hit the ground running with their set. Visceral vocals and choice guitar, Two Glass Eyes were on form throughout their concise set.

But, in this little venue, everyone was obviously here for Empire, and there were cheers once the 5 piece graced the stage. Frontman Joe Green and co. seemed only delighted to be there, with Green coming from the stage to invite the crowd to join him in his hysterics.

What ever you have to say about the band, the first thing to be mentioned is that Green has what could be described as the best voice in the scene now. Out of no where, his voice gently glides from the highest to the lowest of notes, never cracking or falling. Even live, he swiftly flew as the gig raged on around him.

Tracks such as the afore mentioned single, ‘Future, Past and Present’ and ‘Black Hearts’ were loved by the adoring fans and the band alike. The crying shame is, with an area like Camden, there are gigs on every night. While this does mean that any fan of hearty rock music is spoilt for choice, the other end of the scale is that the slightly smaller bands lose out as their peers rock out around the corner to a bigger crowd.

The turn out for Empire may not have been what they wanted, but you’d be hard pressed to find a fan base as devoted as the ones Empire have. And what with the talent held within the group, it’s only a matter of time before they themselves will be playing to the bigger crowds.

Venue: The Black Heart
Support Band: Two Glass Eyes, Crystal Seagulls