The Dead XIII at The Boulevard
The Dead XIII, Another Thursday, Nerve Agents
The Boulevard, Wigan
23/12/23
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
“Anyone going to the gig tonight or are we staying home?” A message read in a friends group chat at 17:06 on December 23rd. A few minutes and a phone call later, my plans for this Saturday night had been upgraded from a night in on the sofa to heading to my hometown for a night of live original metal! My hometown being Wigan and the venue being The Boulevard, one that I’ve had a lot of great history with back in my promoting days and one that’s still very special to me. The venue still remains one of the best sounding venues in the North West in my opinion and is a breeding ground for many underground and unsigned bands across a multitude of genres, many of which who’ve gone on to play major festivals and tour nationally and internationally. Which is why I’m glad to still be able to come down to the venue and support live music simply as a punter.
A new band to me, the East Lancashire power trio Nerve Agents were up first. They clearly travelled well for this with plenty of support, and it’s easy to see why. A mix of nu-metal, grunge, and elements of metalcore, they offered a rather versatile sound, and made for a solid opening set. Some clear signs of individual excellence and skill from the band’s bassist as well as an excellent range from the vocalist/guitarist demonstrate that all the ingredients are there. Ingredients that just need a bit more time to cook, and they could be a solid fixture in the underground.
A newish band but also not a new band, Blackpool’s Another Thursday were up next. See, the nucleus of the band was formed many years ago and they were a fixture in the North West underground scene, but have since rebranded. Alongside this rebranding has come a newer sound. While sticking to the hard rock foundations, the introduction of synths and other experimental elements have given the band a rather fluid and progressive sound. I found myself drawn to the confident stage presence from the band’s vocalist, as well as the overall energy from the rest of the band. Another entertaining set.
What makes for a compelling and entertaining live performance? Intriguing stage attire and energetic stage presence? Incorporating and engaging the crowd in a meaningful way? An pleasing and overall solid sound? The Dead XIII absolutely nail these fundamentals every time they hit the stage, and this evening was no exception. It’s easy to see why they stormed through the competition at Metal To The Masses earlier in the year and hit a career milestone by hitting that infamous Bloodstock New Blood stage. While the crowd had sadly thinned at this point, they still never let that energy slip with those in attendance lapping up their classic metal sound infused with metalcore. They even had their own dance group in the corner of the venue, which sums up this point! Deserving headliners and a great show overall. I’d love to see the band get more and bigger slots like this as they clearly have that potential.
Shout out to Keith Smith for booking and promoting this night. It’s hard to imagine what the venue would be like without all his efforts. Which is why I was fairly disappointed with the low turnout as he and the bands deserved much better. Whether that was due to train strikes, Christmas plans, or simple lack of motivation, venues like this are crucial for the live music industry and really ought to be supported. People don’t realise how close we came to losing The Boulevard during the global shutdown, and it would genuinely break my heart if we did.
With that bleakness out of the way and swiftly moving on, I’d encourage you to check out the KDS Promotions page and give it a follow to get updates on more events like this in 2024.
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