Brum Shots

It’s a fresh new era for Three Days Grace. Their new album Alienation was released to rave reviews over the summer, vocalist Adam Gontier has returned and they’re back in the UK for a 4-date mini-tour.

But when you enter the o2 Academy, you can almost forget you’re here to see them at all. Even on a Tuesday night, the venue is almost full by 7:30 in preparation for support act Badflower. ‘How many of you know who we are?’ vocalist Josh Katz asks, and it’s no surprise that a loud cheer greets them. But that’s not to say that it’s unclear who the headliner is tonight…

Bursting on stage with Dominate, the Canadian 5-piece set an energetic tone for the set. Even with their recent new release, tonight is not just about the newer material with Break and So Called Life make early appearances in the set.

‘As a band we visit a lot of places, but Birmingham’s pretty fucking cool,’ returning vocalist Gontier tells us, flashing his Ozzfest t-shirt. ‘And speakimg of home….’ (a charming yet cheesy segway into the 2004 hit.)

For the benefit of newer fans, we’re given a brief history of the band, much of which took place before a lot of tonight’s attendees were even alive (oh god I’m so old). But while the mentions of certain albums receives a louder cheer than others, the following tracks The Mountain and Mayday keep the momentum going.

The opening notes of Pain are enough for the 3000 strong crowd cease their chanting of THREE DAYS GRACE long enough for an emotional sing-a-long.

It’s time for some discographical whiplash as we bounce from one of their most recently written songs (Kill Me Fast) to one of their oldest (I Hate Everything About You). There’s standing the test of time, and then there’s a room full of emotional elder emos screaming their little hearts out on a cold Tuesday night.

Gontier’s solo cover of Creep brings the crowd together, before his cousin pops out for the nostalgic Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight, reminiscent of the band’s small town upbringing in Ontario, Canada.

‘Let’s get these mosh pits started again…’ Matt Walst demands, introducing I Am Machine. The overly-obvious introductions make a return (‘We know you like to live The Good Life’) and we flash back to one of newer vocalist Walst’s first songs with the band, Painkiller.

The emotional Never Too Late draws us towards the end of the night before things are picked up again with Riot to end the night!