Live Review: Witherfall Acoustic Show at The Islington Assembly Hall, London (19/03/19)

Billed as ‘acoustic adventures’, the pairing of Witherfall and Sonata Arctica makes sense considering the style of epic power metal they both play. The one and only UK date of this tour took place in London at the Islington Assembly Hall. A great venue for such a show, not just with sound but also the visual look of an old theatre.

We’re fans of Witherfall and we raved about their latest album, A Prelude to Sorrow (read our review here). However, we’re not completely sold on acoustic only shows. Would Witherfall change our mind?

It’s far from the busiest night inside and the general chatter heard seems to suggest most are here for the headline act. That doesn’t stop Witherfall being given a rousing welcome as they take to the stage.

It’s immediately clear that the band are quite enjoying these acoustic shows as the smiles on their faces are wide. They seem confident as they sit down and pick up their instruments and for good reason. Good reason because for 45 minutes they enthral, entertain and amuse with an acoustic set of some of their best songs.

The sound is immense, as long as you avoid the pockets of people choosing to have loud conversations. At a normal show that isn’t a problem but at an acoustic show it’s distracting and obnoxious.

Regardless, Witherfall manage to hold most of the attendees attention for their time on stage. Although it is funny to hear the reaction when it looks like the band are going to play a Metallica song but stop short at the intro. The highlight comes at the end where the band combine several songs into one large medley and leave the stage to a rousing round of applause.

They won us over!