accept live

With their 2011 UK Blood of the Nations tour drawing to a close, old skool rockers Accept laid their cards on the table and showed they were still very much in the game. This was a gig that life-long fans had been gagging for; so on their stop off at Sheffield, Accept delivered an inspirational, rawking and epic performance. Basically, they did it how it should be done.

As the lights went down, there stood five silhouettes of rock and roll icons and the audience was brimming with anticipation. Through the smoky stage, bursts of red light pounded on the band as guitarist Wolf Hoffman teasingly picked the haunting intro to Shades of Death on his iconic, white, tarnished Flying V. The intensity in the room was limitless. With a smooth switch the band launched themselves into their recent hit Teutonic Terror, which sent the fixated crowd into a floor shaking frenzy. The potent combination of high pitched, screeching vocals from Marc Tornillo, energetic drumming of Stefan Schwarzmann, roaring bass of Peter Baltes and the fierce guitar skills of Wolf Hoffman and Herman Frank was enough to fire up anyone’s night.

Given the cocktail of infamous hits such as Neon Nights, Son of a Bitch, Pandemic, Bullet Proof and more, the gig was the equivalent to a musical jigsaw which fit together perfectly. The atmosphere amplified when the band soared into Princess of the Dawn. As the band silenced at the chorus, the audience menacingly took over chanting the lyrics. Halfway through the song we were treated to a play off between a speedy bass solo from Baltes and a fiery guitar solo from Hoffman, which highlighted a unique chemistry between the two. With the audience clapping and roaring, Accept had the crowd in the palm of their hands and showed no signs of loosening their grip.

 
As the band returned for an encore, all that was heard through the darkness was traditional German music, the audience knew exactly what was coming and were revved up for round two. Through the roars of the crowd Accept lunged themselves into a speed metal performance of Fast as a Shark.

The final salute was given to a spine chilling performance of Balls to the Wall. What better way to round off a gig than to finish with a classic. Hands were flying through the air doing the sign of victory. For those who know the song, you’ll know why.

The stage set up was pretty basic. Only an Accept flag was used and hung as a backdrop. Props and ‘gimmicks’ weren’t necessary, the sparks flying between the crowd and the band was enough to keep the show alive. It wasn’t just any gig, this time it was personal!

All in all, it was one of those gigs where if someone asked you how good it was you would reply with ‘where the hell do I start?’

by Kathryn Longbottom