Bad Omens Ignite Glasgow's OVO Hydro in Ambitious Arena Debut
Melodic metalcore outfit Bad Omens made a spectacular, if slightly tentative, leap onto the UK arena stage with a powerful performance at Glasgow's OVO Hydro. The US band, formed in 2015, pulled out all the stops for their first major headline tour in Britain, delivering a show defined by anthemic songs, pyrotechnics, and a genre-fluid sound.
A Sonic and Visual Spectacle
The concert began with immense energy. Within the first five minutes, the audience was treated to huge riffs, pillars of fire, and supernatural horror-inspired visuals. The opening track, the recent single Specter, immediately justified the band's step up to arena status. Its atmospheric quality was amplified by the dry ice enveloping frontman Noah Sebastian.
The band's setlist, while rooted in metal, showcased their broad ambitions. They seamlessly incorporated elements of industrial, electronica, and drum'n'bass. This eclectic mix was held together by Sebastian's remarkably adaptable vocals, which switched effortlessly from a clean croon to a guttural scream and back to a whisper. A standout moment was their performance of the collaborative single VAN, where Sebastian deftly mimicked the flow of fellow artist Poppy.
Tracks like the gothic Dying to Love and the relatively perky pop-punk of Nowhere to Go highlighted their range. Impose creatively found common ground between breakbeats and traditional double-kick metal drums. Drummer Nick Folio received particular praise for his performance, balancing visceral power with expansive resonance.
Arena Ambitions and On-Stage Chemistry
The band's mainstream breakthrough came with their 2022 third album, The Death of Peace of Mind. Its embrace of hooky pop songwriting and complex storytelling made it a viral hit on TikTok and drew comparisons to the gloomy R&B of The Weeknd, filtered through a Bring Me the Horizon lens. Having supported that very band last year, this tour marks Bad Omens' graduation into the same league.
However, the transition to the big stage revealed some growing pains. While the unabashedly big sound and anthemic songwriting are perfectly suited for an arena, the band's stage presence felt more like a collection of consummate professionals than a tightly-knit unit. A lack of connection was palpable, with the performance sometimes feeling like a star and his backing band rather than a group with natural chemistry.
Frontman Sebastian himself appeared to be a reluctant star. When he asked the crowd if they were having fun, he didn't seem to be fully sharing in that enjoyment himself. Whether it was big-venue nerves or the physical distance between the musicians on the large stage, the magical chemistry that defines the greatest live acts was occasionally missing.
Despite this, the ambition and scale of the production were undeniable. Bad Omens proved they have the songs and the spectacle to command an arena. The performance in Glasgow demonstrated that they are on the cusp of mastering the live connection to match their immense sonic power. The band continues their UK tour, with a date at Alexandra Palace in London on 26 November.
