Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 30th October 2025
Travel | Venue Accessibility | Musical Friend Visiting
This was one of my most anticipated gigs of the second half of the year. I knew I wanted to get tickets as soon as the line up was announced.
The main reason for going was Arch Enemy, a Swedish melodic death metal band I got into in recent years, after I started appreciating growls. I loved how empowering and cathartic their lyrics were. Perfect background music for days when coding was especially frustrating.
I was also curious to see Eluveitie, a Swiss folk metal band, having really enjoyed what I heard from them so far.
Amorphis, a progressive metal band from Finland, was the act I knew less about. I had tried to get into them before but, their extensive discography was a bit overwhelming for my brain, I didn’t know where to start! Nothing like a deadline to get me going. I went through their whole discography in the month leaning to the gig. The result? I got obsessed with them!
There was some extra excitement leading up to this gig. For starters, a friend from one my music communities was coming along, she would stay over with a bit of extra time to explore my town.
To make things even better, she was kind enough to treat me to VIP for Eluveitie, something I had never done before!
As usual, I prepared a Spotify playlist to familiarise myself with the tracks the bands might perform on the night. I thought I was all set, only to find out Gatecreeper would be supporting too! I researched them a bit and decided to let myself be surprised on the day of the gig, my brain couldn’t cope with extra information.
The day of the concert came along in the middle of a very busy time. I didn’t have the chance to research questions to ask Eluveitie during the VIP or even memorise the names of the band members. The art historian in me was quite nervous. Luckily, my friend reassured me saying they would be more than happy just to see me there.
We turned up quite early to the venue and were first in the queue, success! Despite the cold, and having to wait a few hours, it was useful to be there, it gave us a chance to chat to one of the security guards and ask a few questions (more on that on venue accessibility).
As time for the gig got closer, people started to arrive. We soon found ourselves exchanging gig adventures and recommendations of acts to check with other people in the queue.
Before we knew, it was time to meet the bands. We were split into groups, according to the VIP we were attending, goodie bags were distributed and we made our way inside. I was happy to be back in the warmth of the venue!
First, the tour manager shared some guidelines about acceptable behaviour around the band and encouraged us to clap as they came in. Then, Eluveitie made an entrance, whilst we clapped. They performed a short acoustic set which literally brought me to tears. I loved European folk music when performed live. I had not listened to acoustic material by them before and was blown away by the incredible talent and versatility of the musicians. Could not wait to see them later.
After the set finished, each of us had our photo taken with the band, followed by some time to chat to the artists and give them gifts. I bought Fabi, Eluveities lead singer, some vegan chocolates and my friend had more treats for her. She was very moved.
It was over too soon! We made our way back to the cold and drizzle, oh well, our spirits were lifted and doors would open soon. Whilst we waited, we talked about the moments we just shared with the artists with other people in the queue, shared some more gig adventures and topped up on music tips.
One special moment of that evening was when one of the guys from a music community both me and my friend are part of decided to come and say hi. He lived locally and offered to bring some food for us. He wasn’t even staying for the gig. It was great to chat to him for a few minutes, I will forever be grateful for his kindness. The chocolates he got for us were dinner!
Not long after it was doors time! Since we had both accessible entry and VIP, we were first in the queue, yay! It wasn’t hard to find a nice spot in the front row. We even managed to save an extra place at the barrier for a friend who joined us a bit later.
Gatecreeper a band from Arizona, US, was a very entertaining opening. Pretty brutal vocals, traditional for old school death metal. They got the crowd going. They were fun to watch but not my cup of tea. I do recommend checking them out if that is your style of music.
Then came time for Eluveitie, I absolutely adored their set. The mix of clean vocals from Fabi and harsh vocals from Chrigel, especially in tracks like Ategnatos and The Prodigal Ones, when they overlapped, was fantastic. I also loved how they managed to create the most epic bridges by a sequence of solos from folk and metal instruments. Like in Premonition, when flute is followed by guitar and violin.
Amorphis followed with a monster of a set. Their music felt like being transported to some Nordic land with warriors singing metal anthems of war. I loved Dancing in the Shadow and Wrong Direction because of their progressive elements and a good mix of growls and clean vocals. I was especially pleased to get to hear The Bee, a song that had been an earworm in the weeks leading to the gig. Their performance blew me away. I have been listening to them often since.
And then it was time for Arch Enemy, the main act of the night. Normally, I enjoyed staying close to the front, but I could tell the crowd was going to get more animated. I wanted to enjoy the music without looking out for anyone who could push me around, we decided to make our way towards the back.
As expected, Arch Enemy put on a killer of a set. It kicked of with a curtain covering the stage with Pure Fucking Metal written in graffiti styled letters. Band members made their entry, their shadows projected on to the curtain, which finally came down to the first notes of Alissa singing Deceiver, Deceiver.
It was relentless aggression from beginning to end. Alissa’s voice was unreal, especially in tracks like Illuminate the Path, where she seamlessly moved from clean to harsh vocals. I was also very happy to get to hear The Eagle Flies Alone and No Gods, No Masters, both a battle cry for outsiders, like me.
There were many great moments of interaction with the audience, rebellion and catharsis. It was a night to remember.
I was happy to get to see Arch Enemy live, after missing them on a few occasions. Alissa has been a great collaborator with Charlotte, and their music has given me strength in times of frustration and uncertainty. Top tip, playing The Eagle Flies Alone before a job interview is super empowering.
I wish Alissa the best in her solo career, hope to catch her live sometime in the future.
Travel
- Wolverhampton Civic Hall is located about 10min walk from the train station
- Late night train services from Wolverhampton available
We took a train to Wolverhampton from Coventry. Initially we thought about getting an uber to the venue then realised it was so close, we could walk there. It was easy to find with Google maps, even for my friend who was not local!
I always struggled to find my way back from Wolverhampton via train. Was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of services scheduled after 11:00pm. It was very easy to get back to the station in time to catch one of them.
Only last year I had to leave before the end of a gig because it would finish after the time for the last train. We missed most of The Black Hounds set, who we had specifically travelled to see.
Hopefully, this won’t happen again.
Venue Accessibility
- Special companion tickets available. More information on the venue website
- Accessible entrance available. Request in advance or on the day by speaking to security. More information on the venue website
- VIP session with artist took place on second floor
- Lift available
- Step free access available
Civic Hall used AXS to handle ticket sales. To organise an essential companion, I bought two tickets for the show through them and set a request to the venue with evidence of my disability. I received a refund once my request was checked. They also asked if I wanted to use the accessible entrance and arranged it for me.
As mentioned earlier, we spoke to one of the security guards to find out how VIP and accessible entry would work. He found out for us and facilitated we used the lift to get to the second floor, where VIP would be held. After we came back. Staff made sure I was close to the front of the queue so I could benefit from accessible entrance.
Everyone was helpful and made the experience relaxed and smooth.
I am looking forward to my second VIP experience next year, with Charlotte Wessels at the Arcane Dimensions tour date in Glasgow
Musical friend visiting
This was the first gig of the tour in the UK, the bands had a couple of days off in between, it was the perfect opportunity for my friend to fly in a bit earlier, settle in, and do some sight-seeing.
Despite the wet weather, we had a good walk in the main town centre and got to check out some of my favourite charity shops and small businesses
The pouring rain had stopped by the time we finished grabbing a bite at my favourite café, meaning we could go to a beautiful park in town, visit an old cemetery, a must for metal heads, and check out the old main street, where most of the town’s historical buildings were.
In the evening, my friend did a typical dish from her part of Germany for dinner.
This was another fun metal adventure for the books, I was glad to be showing people around my little corner of the world, for a change. Hope to do it again.
2025 was a year full of great concerts. I even got to see artists that have been on my list for ages. More on that some other time.
Looking forward to what 2026 will bring, and to share more stories with you here!
Leave a Reply