It has been a while since Angels and Airwaves have appeared in London, and the sold out Shepherd’s Bush Empire definitely showed them that they have been missed. Before them though, the show was opened by another Californian band, Le Blorr, who were a surprising choice to open and at times a little dreary, but the singer managed at times to captivate the crowd with a strong and unique vocal.
By the time Angels and Airwaves took to the stage the crowd were more than ready, and after a haunting instrumental opening, the band started the set with ‘Saturday Love’. The crowd were pumped up and singing along from the word go, and following that, ‘It Hurts’ received a similar reception.
Tom Delonge always seems to enjoy himself greatly in AvA, and kept the crowd impressed throughout their extensive set – as ‘Anxiety’ arrived complete with a drum solo, the energy in the Empire was electric.
Later, Delonge came out to play an acoustic number alone accompanied only by a well received joke about how he lost his virginity, and then went on to play ‘There is’ by Boxcar Racer, sharing with the crowd that he wrote it for his wife. A superb piano solo in the encore rounded the evening off well, and any Angels and Airwaves fan should be gutted that they missed this show. As Delonge left the stage thanking everyone for coming, he left everyone in the crowd with a smile as wide as his own.
SUZIE WATT
Phil McDougall
