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Every time an English punk band rolls through, it’s just miles beyond everything else. Lambrini Girls are no exception. Raw. Having Fun. Deeply embedded in their own vibe. This show was everything I expected…and more.

Big Girl, another raw, glittery punk band out of Brooklyn, opened up the night. They did a great job warming the crowd up and getting some energy moving. This is a band that bears watching in the future.

Big Special – it was a BIG night – was up next. The duo from Birmingham, England (Midlands-style, folks) brought their drum-heavy act in with a bang (pun intended) and kept things rolling. The energy these two brought was phenomenal. It was my first time hearing them, and I left wanting more. Their unique style of spoken word/punk mix is something to behold.

All this was a precursor, though, to the Lambrini Girls. Within the first three songs, Flora was already in the crowd and circle pits were going. Crowd surfing was encouraged, and the raw, jagged sounds of the girls stoked the energy higher. Sixteen-ish songs later, and everyone was nearly exhausted as the constant energy never ended. These women are going places.

Make sure you catch their North American Tour before they had back home.

Manicured.

Metalicious Tour stopped through Delmar hall and everyone was out to embrace bimbocore! Scene Queen brought high energy Wargasm and Bailey Spinn on her tour into St. Louis ramping up energy in the Loop.

Bailey Spinn opened the tour up, a unique blend of rock ‘n roll. She did a great job of stirring the crowd with some ethereal vocals and hard rock chords. Definitely someone we should be looking for good things from in the future.

Lights dimmed…red lights turned on…and Wargasm entered the stage. This was my 2nd time seeing this ball of energy on the stage, and I was just as impressed. Brining their particular brand of punk and EDM, bounding around the stage, and leaning into the crowd, they grabbed life by the hair and threw it around. This band really deserves to headline a tour, and with any luck, they will come through St Louis when they do!

At long last, the crowd grew quiet. Pink lights dazzled on stage with some inflatable drinks, a couch, and a skeleton…patiently waiting for the Queen to skip on to stage. Starting with “Manicure,” Scene Queen hopped, skipped and jumped across the stage, mixing her self-branded bimbocore voice with heavy growls, churning the crowd and egging them on. At one point, she even brought Wargasm on stage with her, doubling down on the energy. Not a soul would leave that venue with an ounce of energy remaining.

There are more stops up next for the Metalicious Tour; if you love high energy and some new takes on core and rock, plan to attend!

Chancellor Jonathan Bennett, professionally known as Chance the Rapper, returned after his We Back Tour in October 2025. Chance brought his Coloring Book 10th anniversary tour to the Masonic in San Francisco. Chance was also supported by La Reezy, a 22-year-old rapper from New Orleans.

Chance began his set around 9:30 PM with the song “All We Got.” He smoothly transitioned into “Blessings” and “Ride,” taking a moment to engage with the crowd on the second floor. The following sequence created a gospel atmosphere, featuring a reprise of “All We Got” and “Blessings,” as well as a performance of “Sunday/Candy.” He then brought back a nostalgic vibe for the audience by performing many songs from his album Coloring Book throughout the night.

Chance also performed a freestyle rap for the crowd, saying: “Shoutout to my friends! We’re joking, shoutout to my friend La Rezzy—we’re out here smoking. Shoutout to my friends in Oakland; every time I step into the booth, it feels historical. It’s Mr. 3, no oracle, but shoutout to my brother Steph Curry. I need to finish this freestyle in a hurry!” He concluded the show with fan favorites “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” “Pretty,” “D.R.A.M. Sings Special,” and “Same Drugs,” walking off stage while saying, “I’m proud of you guys!”

Thar be whales here! The flying variety! Gojira, the absolute masters of French Metal descended to St. Louis the best of causes: a concert to benefit Operation Food Search, a local food outreach program. All proceeds from the event benefitted the organization, who also had a presence at the concert! The Sovereign, once again asserting why it is a reigning venue in the St Louis area, hosted the sold out event, selling in less than 2 hours.

Opening for Gojira was Columbia, Missouri veteran band, Locked Shut. They brought their distinct flavor of core to the stage and set the crowd in motion for what was to come. A few songs later, both levels of The Sovereign were frothing and ready to go!

After a brief intermission, Gojira took the stage with a vengeance. You could say they were…Born for One Thing. Covering a variety of albums over their long history, including Flying Whales, Silvera and Amazoni…all the way to a three-song encore that included “Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)”, a traditional cover they brought to the world’s attention at the Paris Olympic Opening in 2024. Ending with “The Gift of Guilt,” I couldn’t think of a better way to close out this phenomenal set. C’est Magnifique. 90 minutes of grifting metal to benefit the fight against food insecurity! You can see both bands at the Louder than Life tour next!

Locked Shut Setlist

Gojira Setlist

Purged in fire!

The Rock Orchestra brought the Arena of Fire tour to St Louis Music Park last Friday with haunting renditions of well-known rock and metal songs. The arrangements and costumes were done to a T, bringing the gothic feel to the St Louis stage. This time, though, they brought fire; pyrotechnics were used in nearly every song.   

Starting with Zeppelin and running all the way through System of a Down and Metallica, the orchestra covered everything in between.  My favorites were easily Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” and The Cranberries’s “Zombie.” So much feeling and action on the stage…and fire. So, so much fire. While the music drove the show, and the singers carried us through the night, it was the Fuel Girls that brought the heat with their pyro performance! They were fantastically complimentary to the show’s outstanding flow and vibe.

Catch this tour before it heads back to Europe!

“Brutal” is the best way to describe the Amonklok Conquest Tour as it sailed into The Factory for their St. Louis stop. Heavy metal monsters Dethklok and Amon Amarth teamed up to bring hours of furiously heavy guitar riffs with bellow drums and guttural vocals.

Taking the stage first, though, was the surprise of the night. Castle Rat, walking straight out of Dragonslayer, took the stage in what was arguably one of the most fun sets I have seen to date; each member has their own persona: The Rat Queen, The Count, The Plague Doctor, The Druid, and the scythe-wielding Rat Reaperess. While only playing four songs, the intermixed story, the ensuing battle between the band members, and the rat and music made for fantastic theatrics and song. Inspired by Frank Frazetta’s art, this band is well worth seeing live.   

But… soon the rowing started, and longships arrived, laying siege to the castle and all those within. Amon Amarth took the stage with a curtain drop and brutal bellows of their drums. Hegg’s vocals powered the band through their set, filled with crowd favorites like “Raven’s Flight” and “War of the Gods” with a power that shook the walls.   Drinking from his viking horn, the crowd surged, chanted, rowed, and embraced their inner viking.  

The longships left, though, momentarily leaving a stillness on the stage. A flicker of light, and then the Tribunal was seen on screen. Dethklok had returned, and once again, they set off with the most dastardly of intentions. Darkness enveloped the crowd and lightning cracked, the screen flickered, lights exploded, and members of the band flashed on screen, and the crowd started chanting:  “Deth!” “Klok!” and brutal hell broke loose! Starting with the “Deththeme,” the crowd become part of the next episode of Metalacolypse, rolling into each song as fan-favorite characters ushered the story line through to completion.

It was a night not to be missed by two heavy hitting acts and a very pleasant surprise with Castle Rat. Links to the set lists are below. 

Castle Rat

Amon Amarth

Dethklok

Ruel opened his set in San Francisco by stepping through his signature red door, immediately setting the tone for the night. He was joined on stage by his guitarist and drummer. Ruel made every moment count, performing songs from his EP Kicking My Feet with older favorites, while also sharing the exciting news that a continuation album, Kicking My Feet & Screaming, is on the way soon.

As the night came to an end, Ruel surprised the crowd with a cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, before closing with “Kicking My Feet”. My personal favorites were “Dazed & Confused”, “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF”, and ” GROWING UPS IS __”. And Judging by the crowd, I wasn’t the only one. The fans moved with the music, sang with the people they came with, and left with memories they wouldn’t soon forget.

25 years melted away for the concert last weekend when Mudvayne brought their raw style to The Factory STL with Static X and Vended.  Opening with “Dig” and powering through the rest of L.D. 50, their debut album, on this 25th anniversary tour, the crowd was engaged and pushed to the brink of frenzy. Already hyped from Static X’s monstrous performance, fifteen nu metal songs from the Peoria based band fueled everyone on, and lead singer Chad Gray left everything on stage.