We are no strangers to Japanese power metal goddesses LOVEBITES here at the Midlands Rocks. It been a pleasure to watch them grow from humble support act on a 2019 DragonForce tour (reviewed here) to bona fide headliners in their own right in 2024 (reviewed here), and continuing their upward trajectory they return to London for another show at the prestigious O2 Academy venue in Islington (this time around the venue is nearly sold out). Of course, being a headline act carries its own weight of expectation and brings different sorts of pressures, but if anyone can rise to the challenge, LOVEBITES can.

LOVEBITES are a band who attract a more hardcore type of fan and many have camped outside the venue since early afternoon, a long snaking queue growing exponentially as the day progresses. It serves to create an air of excitement, and one that’s heightened as we’re finally admitted to the venue and those who’ve pitched up early jockey for a prime position in front of the stage. It means that the clock ticks down to showtime awfully slowly, and when the start time is pushed back by fifteen minutes, I fear some in the crowd might explode. Judas Priest’s cover of ‘Diamonds And Rust’ is used as an intro tape and it gets the crowd in the right groove as voices sing along, safe in the knowledge that LOVEBITES will appear at any moment. It means that when the band finally arrive it feels as if someone has released a safety valve; the pressure is finally dissipated to be replaced by excitement as fists pump the air and horns are held high in affirmation. ‘The Castaway’ is the opening track and surely no other song in the history of music has been made for such a purpose. It certainly gets the blood pumping with the band feeding off the crowd’s energy (and vice versa), each riling the other onto greater levels of insanity. LOVEBITES bring a certain joie de vivre to the stage, they are all smiles and seem intent on making contact with all present, constantly waving and pointing to people in the crowd.

Tonight is the final night of LOVEBITES’ tour, but if they are feeling fatigued from their trek across Europe then it doesn’t show, because they are a bundle of energy and seem intent on covering every inch of the stage. In guitarists Midori and Miyako the band have a pair of six stringers who can rival Iron Maiden’s Smith/Murray axis, they riff in tandem and trade blistering solos, the latter tying the crowd up in all sorts of knots. Diminutive drummer Haruna might be short in stature but she’s a real powerhouse and drives the band forwards with force, and along with bassist Fami combines to create a formidable rhythm section. Having joined the band a few years ago, Fami has made the spot her own and is particularly animated, displaying an energy that’s highly contagious and spreads the good vibes radiating throughout the venue. Gliding across the stage like a swan, vocalist Asami is the final piece of the puzzle and delivers an operatic performance, singing the sweetest soliloquy on ‘Liar’ and some glass shattering shrieks on ‘Holy War’. Five individual characters who operate as a unified whole to make technically complex songs sound catchy and earwormy.

Tonight’s set list is weighed heavily towards latest album Outstanding Power, an album which was a stunning return to form. However, there’s still room for classic cuts such as ‘M.D.O.’, a track that never fails to get the follicles flying and along with ‘One Will Remain’ brings the set to a thunderous conclusion. Of course, the band return for two well earned encores, ‘When Destinies Align’ and the aptly-titled ‘We The United’ bringing down the curtain in style. As the band take their final bows and soak up the rapt applause they leave us with the feeling that we’ve seen something very, very special.

Set List:

1. The Castaway
2. Unchained
3. Blazing Halo
4. Liar
5. Holy War
6. Reaper’s Lullaby
7. Soldier Stands Solitarily
8. Stand And Deliver (Shoot ‘em Down)
9. Rising
10. M.D.O.
11. One Will Remain
12. When Destinies Align
13. We The United