W.A.S.P Ignite Rock City with Nostalgic Fury on Their "Album One Alive" Tour
- Aleksandra Hogg
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
Rock City, Nottingham, 27th July 2025
WORDS CHRISTIAN GOULD / IMAGES ALEKSANDRA HELENA HOGG
Tonight we're back at Rock City, Nottingham for W.A.S.P and their Album One Alive tour. It's been 40 years (and a little extra) since W.A.S.P unleashed their brand of shock rock, gaining fans and offending parents across the United States and tonight we get to hear the album performed (almost!) in its entirety.
The crowd tonight are definitely trending on the older side although that's not too surprising for a band now entering their fifth decade. As we wait for the doors to open I pass the time trying, unsuccessfully, to spot anyone under the age of thirty! It might be a more venerable audience but the W.A.S.P faithful are committed and it's a sold-out show tonight.
W.A.S.P have split their UK dates into two and they'll be back in September 2025 with Armoured Saint but tonight there's no support act - W.A.S.P are flying solo. While waiting for them to take the stage I eavesdrop on a few conversations and extortionate merch prices are a frequent complaint - the dodgy T-Shirt touts lurking outside Rock City would be pleased to know that a lot of people were talking about buying hoodies from them!
Rock City is absolutely heaving tonight, people are packed in so tightly that I can barely raise my arms. A sacrificial employee is sent out on stage ahead of W.A.S.P to politely remind everyone that Rock City prohibits crowd-surfing - he's met with a roar of disapproving booing but I have my doubts that any crowd-surfing attempt would have been very successful amongst the over-55s!
The house lights dim, smoke fills the stage and the sound of sirens rings out over the PA - W.A.S.P are imminent. Elvis, Blackie Lawless' infamous mic stand, is bathed in the glow of red spotlights - an ostentatious tribute to the spirit of 80s heavy metal! The sirens fade out, the band files on, the crowd screams and we're off.
We're not going to recap the entire setlist in this review, if you're familiar with their first album then you know what they're playing! I Wanna Be Somebody is probably W.A.S.Ps most iconic song and it makes for a great opener, however, most W.A.S.P fans will know that it's not the original opening number. Despite promises to play their debut in it's entirety, Animal remains a victim of Blackie's new-found morality and apart from an appearance at their 2022 40th anniversary he's stuck to his vow not to play it live anymore.
He might now be pushing 70 years old but Blackie Lawless still has a fantastic voice for heavy metal, a raspy edge adding gritty seriousness but complimented by a falsetto still capable of hitting high notes meant for someone 40 years younger. It's probably one For a man whose cited the enduring influence of Alice Cooper and KISS on his stage persona it's no surprise that almost every riff is accompanied by a theatrical flourish or gesture. Blackie prowls the stage, challenging the crowd to do better and they rise to the occasion, Rock City a roaring cauldron of raised fists and guttural shouts.
A focused main setlist gives way to an encore which provides a whistle-stop tour of the band's greatest hits. When you have 14 album releases and 40 years worth of material, one of the most effective ways to play your biggest hits is to turn them into medley (or a montage?!) and that's how W.A.S.P manage to squeeze 9 songs into their encore performance.
If we set aside more recent controversies then W.A.S.P have never been about the political or the philosophical. They embody the hedonistic thrill-seeking aesthetic of 1980s heavy metal - big hair, bikes, skulls and women. It's musical escapism and it's still just as effective as it was when it was first written. W.A.S.Ps bikes might have quite a few more miles on them than when they started but they're still capable of turning the clock back for a few hours on stage.
They'll be back in the UK in September, if you've ever worn Denim and Leather or wanted to step into a heavy metal album cover then you should definitely think about seeing them.
SET LIST
I Wanna Be Somebody
L.O.V.E. Machine
The Flame
B.A.D.
School Daze
Hellion
Sleeping (in the Fire)
On Your Knees
Tormentor
The Torture Never Stops Encore:
The Big Welcome
Inside the Electric Circus / I Don't Need No Doctor / Scream Until You Like It
The Real Me / Forever Free / The Headless Children
Wild Child
Blind in Texas
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