Motionless In White - O2 Institute, Birmingham 13.12.2019
As the decade closes, Motionless In White will solidify ten years of phenomenal triumphs starting with the breeding grounds of 'Creatures' in 2010, that then launched them into a stratosphere of success as they buckled down four more albums and an iconic reign of being ‘goth kings.’ They celebrate their last offering to the decade ‘Disguise’ with a full-length tour across the globe that makes its second to last stop in Birmingham for all kinds of chaos.
Thailand’s own Defying Decay kick off the night a little far from home, nonetheless in their armor they bring an exuberant array of Punk jumps and catchy riffs with a sound that gives callbacks to early 2007 Metalcore, making it impossible for the hordes of fans flooding the venue to keep their eyes off of the stage.
Skold follow through with a haunting performance that left the chills running down my spine still cool to the touch. Tim Skold has had his finger on trigger in this industry for a while so it was no surprise at how comfortably he played with the crowd, leaving them on the edge of their seat and finding new ways to surprise them with his charismatic yet dark stage presence. It felt like Marilyn Manson mixed with a subtly electronic dance vibe, insane in the best way.
Before hitting the stage, the anticipation for Motionless In White grew into a thick, foggy musk that made it even more exciting to watch Chris Motionless pounce onto the stage and cut through the room so swiftly I’m not sure the audience knew what to do with themselves for a moment; and then they descended into utter chaos.
Moshpit’s sprawled into action as they kicked in with ‘Undead Ahead 2: The Tale Of The Midnight Ride’. As a long-time fan, I can appreciate the call backs to their early works with ‘Black Damask (The Fog)’ and ‘Devil’s Night’ but to my surprise most of their setlist was comprised of their latest release ‘Disguise’, which seemingly garnered the greatest response from audiences. Typically fans respond better to the earlier works, but in the past decade the Pennsylvania collective have established themselves with each album, churning out even more relentless hits that still taste the same as the first album but have a sweeter aftertaste.
With a Motionless In White show, the bang is worth the buck. You’re not paying for them just to bounce around the stage, sing your favourite songs and leave. The five-piece bring an ungodly amount of exhilaration with their performance, leaning into their aesthetic by any means possible ghouling stage décor and a characterized personality of their own selves that’s intoxicatingly spooky. This was best emulated by frontman Chris Motionless who’d dart across the stage, growl with his every last breath and exuded this mysterious vibe that made you wonder what he’d do next. The whole band collectively worked their best efforts into every last drop of sweat, the climax to each song almost brought the roof down with their ending track ‘Eternally Yours.’
As Motionless In White have cascaded through the years, breaking from the Wapred Tour Metalcore shackles and growing beyond their 'Creatures' personality, they’ve become a band for everyone. As I passed through the crowd I saw kids as young as five on their parent’s shoulders and on one occasion someone had brought their nan with them. All of whom were rocking out, singing along to every word and enjoying themselves. Over the past 10 years Motionless In White have established something beyond music, their outgoing style and emotionally moving lyrics have touched the people who needed it the most, cultivating a devoted audience who’ve packed out venues across this tour and proved to any critic that after 10 years, they’ve still got it.
This is an unmissable band and a bucket list to see for 2020 if you haven’t planned to yet.
Motionless In White - https://www.facebook.com/motionlessinwhite/
Defying Decay - https://www.facebook.com/defyingdecay/
Photos & Review - Yasmine Summan
