Live Review: In Flames – UK Tour 2022 – Scala London

In the heart of King’s Cross, Scala London normally hosts clubbers and ravers but on the 27th of March, In Flames took over the iconic venue. With support from Defects and Vexed, the night had the potential to showcase the old and new wave of the metal scene and a sold-out London crowd would be lucky enough to witness the madness unfold. Here’s what went down!

Kicking things off was Defects, An exciting up and coming band in the metalcore scene. Despite only having two singles released to date, the band opted to put out a set of upcoming material that seemed to go down fairly well with the London crowd. Stage presence was not an issue for the band either as they dominated every inch of Scala’s stage to make it their own. Fans seemed to really get behind the track ‘End Of Days’ which is a promising sign as it’s the band’s latest single.

Up next was Vexed and despite it being alot heavier than the others on the lineup, they put on one hell of a performance! Their unhinged style captivated their hometown crowd who were quick to get moving once ‘Hideous’ got things started. The high intensity was the order of the day and Vexed delivered with no questions asked. ‘Misery’ seemed to be a crowd favourite closely followed by ‘Fake’ which closed out the set and left the fans all warmed up for the main event.

In Flames took to the stage and the crowd was sent into a frenzy. Opening with ‘Everything’s Gone’ set the tone for the rest of the night as The band went from strength to strength. Charisma mixed with high octane metal is a winning recipe and In Flames caught on to that quickly and delivered both in bucket loads. ‘Where The Dead Ships Dwell’ went down a storm while ‘Cloud Connected’ got the entire room bouncing along to its infectious riffs and melodies.

As the set went on, the momentum didn’t falter at all. A career-spanning set allowed both old and new fans to become one which was pleasant to witness. ‘The Hive’ was performed to near perfection and as the set entered its later stage, the energy levels in the room only seemed to rise. There’s no surprise that the loudest crowd participation moment happened during the chorus of the track ‘The End’ but even though it was predictable, it was quite the thing to behold.

It’s safe to say that In Flames wanted to finish this tour with a BANG and they executed their set well. The London crowd left Scala grinning ear to ear after an impactful performance with support from two exciting up and coming bands. Next time In Flames hit the road I highly recommended experiencing their live show for yourself!