3. Sylvaine – Funeral February / Apocalypse Orchestra – Asgaard

I simply could not choose between these two shows. The intimate performance of Katherine of Sylvaine who first took the stage alone in the magnificent Amuz venue in Antwerp made the crowd fell silent. Her a capella act captivated the attention as her frail voice echoed through the beautiful renovated church. Read the full review and look at some of the pictures of that night to understand what I am talking about here.

Another small and intimate performance was delivered by Apocalypse Orchestra in our own venue Asgaard. The Swedish quintet is known for their spectacular live acts and while they unfortunately could not bring their fire artists into our small venue, they sure made it their stage.

2. Alien Weaponry – Metaldays

You can praise a band your number one band of 2018, but can they deliver it live? Well, once again, Alien Weaponry surprises with their live performance. Energetic and interactive, while still playing spot on, they have a sense of maturity unseen for a band of their age. I had the chance to see them convert the crowd at Metaldays, Slovenia, and make even the biggest sloth move his ass. Convinced, we drove all the way the south of the country later this year to watch them play Tū live in its integrity (review). We figured that with the bright future this band has we wanted to make sure we could tell the story of the early days!

If I didn’t share enough videos of this band yet on the previous page, here’s another one from a live performance two years ago. Just feel that energy!

1. Zeal & Ardor – Zappa (Kavka)

I missed their performance at Graspop this year, but sure as hell didn’t want to miss my chance during their show at Zappa in Antwerp. The intensity of Zeal & Ardor made this an easy pick for live show of the year. Manuel Gagneux excused himself for not talking much and suggested to just play more songs. The live show proved to me how backing vocalists Denis Wagner and Marc Obrist are more than just voices in the background and how they really intensify the overall sound. The rapid tempo of the show and just one top song after another simply did not permit any time to get bored. This was one of those few occasions I was just quiet after a show and let it sink in.

If you didn’t take the time yet to watch Zeal & Ardor have a look at their 2018 Lowlands performance below.