Man With A Mission celebrate their 15th anniversary with their HOWLING ACROSS THE WORLD tour, starting the European leg in London. We were there, so let’s give you a glimpse!
A little over a year after their last visit, Man With A Mission are back at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire for a celebratory tour. 15 years of career, 15 years of bangers, 15 years of blistering riffs that, once again, thrill us live. In the lovely London venue, unfortunately not at full capacity, fans gather in visibly good spirits and with a tangible sense of kindness. No pushing and shoving, people try to let others see the stage, and with my 1.55m height, I really appreciate it.
RIFFS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD
The opening act hails from Australia. Hands Like Houses take to the stage with riffs rooted firmly in metal, rumbling through the venue. Their energy hits the mark and they’re warmly received. Frontman Josh Raven is having such a blast he doesn’t hesitate to come sing in the middle of the mosh pit. A fun moment, even if the vocal levels could have done with a boost.
That issue crops up a little with Man With A Mission too, who arrive next. The wolf heads are on, the black shirts are back, and the formula still works. REACHING FOR THE SKY, from their most recent EP, opens the set with bright and optimistic energy. The quintet follow it up with the darker, punchier database, and it’s absolute fire! No doubt about it, they know exactly what they’re doing!
IT’S FIRE!
When My Devil Rises, Dark Crow, Vertigo. They all fly by with the same fantastic energy. Jean-Ken Johnny chats a bit with the very engaged crowd before moving things along (Seven Deadly Sins, yoake) ahead of a short break. Let’s not forget, these guys are under huge, heavy wolf heads, and it must be at least 8000°C inside. That’s when they treat us to a short video. It’s different from last year’s, but brings the same dose of absurd humour that suits them perfectly. Though, to be fair, this comes after a minor technical hiccup that delays things a little, but nothing that affects the rest of the show.
Jean-Ken Johnny is then joined by E.D. Vedder on guitar for an acoustic version of the moving Dead End in Tokyo. The rest of the band returns to the stage and it all kicks off again. Merry-Go-Round is on fire, Take Me Under is a delight, FLY AGAIN absolutely shines with its spot-on choreography (yes, I had my light sticks in red and orange for the occasion). Against the Kings and Gods and Kizuna no Kiseki close out the set with a well-deserved thunder of applause.
HOWLING ACROSS EUROPE
For the encore, two tracks. Change the World, full of dreams and hope, and Raise your flag, which leaves a taste of revolution in the mouth. DJ Santa Monica, is so into it that he dives into the crowd during the final track. And it’s glorious. Even with a mask on, you can tell he’s 100% in the moment! The band give one last wave and allow photos (though some clearly didn’t follow the ‘no pictures’ rule this time), and that’s it. Done. Already.
It was a fantastic way for. Man With A Mission to kick off the European leg of their HOWLING ACROSS THE WORLD tour. It was fun, and the perfect moment of connection for fans. But… maybe just a bit too short! That’s the trouble with good times, they fly by. But no matter, we’ll be there, again, next time. And honestly, do yourself a favour and go see them. Joining the pack will feel completely natural after that!
