Five Finger Death Punch Return to London with Explosive Arena Show [Photos]

After the disappointment of Five Finger Death Punch having to pull out of their headlining slot on Opus Stage at Download 20 last year, London-based fans were delighted to welcome them to London’s OVO Wembley on May 23rd, 2024, for what was sure to be an explosive night of metal and mayhem!

Along for the ride and adding their horror-based elements to proceedings was Boston natives, Ice Nine Kills. Spencer Charnas led his crew to deliver an outstanding performance with a stage set up with production levels of a headlining act! A ghoulish, red-eyed demonic figure adorned the rear of the stage, towering over like some form of deity. It was an outstanding sight to behold, and the accompanying light show enhanced the atmosphere emanating from the stage.

As Ice Nine Kills took to the stage, “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (well-known for its use in the movie Scream) played them onto the stage before they erupted into “Hip to be Scared” to thunderous applause of the audience who were all too happy to sing along. Throughout their set, Ice Nine Kills continually demonstrated their ability to entertain by weaving in scenes from famous horror movies, including the infamous shower scene from Psycho during “The Shower Scene.”

As the show came to a close, the recorded track of “Opening Night…” played out before the band blasted into the finale of their set with the ever-popular “Welcome to Horrorwood,” a true fan favourite, and the crowd ensured that Ice Nine Kills knew this fact!

The main event was now primed, and the audience was sufficiently warmed up and rowdy for the show to come. An ouroboros adorned the stage dwarfing everything below it, there was a lot that had gone into stage production for this show. As the stage darkened, cheers erupted throughout the venue as Charlie Engen appeared behind his drum kit to deliver an introductory drum solo to play in the rest of Five Finger Death Punch. As the rest of the group entered the stage one by one, guitar riffs gradually joined in, building the tension for fans and ensuring the show’s opening moments were an epic affair. Without warning, vocalist Ivan Moody appeared on stage and announced proudly: “Welcome to the show London” before blasting into “Welcome to the Circus” as lights brightened up the stage and the audience roared back in support.

After a selection of high-intensity tunes, Moody addressed the crowd stating: “The world has gone fucking crazy, London. But we’re not gonna talk about that tonight. We’re just gonna let that shit wash away.” Before a note was played, the audience knew what song Moody was alluding to and greeted the intro of “Wash It All Away” with pure joy. OVO Wembley entered an almost primal state allowing the good vibes of the music to, indeed, wash it all away.

Throughout the show, the Five Finger Death Punch frontman took every opportunity to demonstrate his admiration for fans at one stage, awarding one lucky attendee his bowler hat. At another moment, Moody briefly stopped to ask if a fan was okay after they were brought over the barrier demanding security wait whilst he grabbed a bottle of water to hand down from the stage. At this moment, Moody even insisted security took a photo of himself with the fan. Other moments such as this took place throughout the show, with Moody reaching out to crowd-surfing fans despite security doing all they could to clear the area.

After delivering “Sham Pain,” Moody announced: “We have a couple of surprises for you” before introducing UK-born guitarist Andy James, who was playing his first UK show tonight. “Second surprise,” declared Moody: “We’re going to play a song for you we have never played live. You wanna hear it?” as the cheers grew ever louder, Five Finger Death Punch slowed proceedings down a tad to reward fans with their rendition of “The House of the Rising Sun” replacing New Orleans with London drawing the largest applause of the night.

Moody even delivered a selection of outstanding acapella renditions of “Remember Everything” and “Far From Home” with the former having the rest of the Five Finger Death Punch join in at specific points. This was followed by a cover of “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis.

The remainder of the set was awash with hit after hit from the group’s extensive back catalogue all accompanied by visually exceptional lighting effects complimenting the music. Five Finger Death Punch were on top form from beginning to end, and despite the abyss separating them from the fans, they took every chance they could to make the show as personal as possible.

Five Finger Death Punch, as a band, have drawn controversy and a lot of hate from some throughout their career; deserved or not, their performance at Wembley on May 23rd, 2024, must be hailed as a triumph!

Five Finger Death Punch (w/ Ice Nine Kills, Malevolence) @ OVO Wembley Arena (London, UK) on May 23rd, 2024

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