Black Smoke Trigger joined the Bruce Dickinson tour from their home country of New Zealand, and to be fair, they do their best. Opening to a partisan crowd decked in Iron Maiden and Dickinson t-shirts, the band possess a certain swagger that grabs the attention.
Black Smoke Trigger
Swansea Arena, Swansea – 21 May 2024
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Singer Josh ‘Baldrick’ Rasmussen flits from front to back, dipping out to allow guitarist Charlie Wallace to do his stuff. They are hampered by a small sound, which, even from the front of the stage, does not do them any favours.
Baldrick announces that they are recording one song, which results in an even more subdued sound. 
With a sound that is generic hard rock, with edges of Alter Bridge, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, they certainly have something that appeals to the crowd, who appear oblivious to the quietness of the volume. 
The Way I’m Wired is a crowd pleaser, stamping their style early doors. Decent harmonies support the rich vocals, and there is enough to keep the attention, with Wallace, a guitar hero in the making. 
Bassist Dan Fulton plays it safe, allowing Baldrick and Wallace to take the spotlight, although drummer Josh Te Maro, shirtless and dreadlocked, catches the eye with his energy.
They play The Way Down, the single which saw the band perform on top of the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. In the video, Wallace jumps off the edge, shredding a guitar solo whilst plummeting 630ft, clocking up over 1.3 million views on YouTube. The Swansea Arena is small fry, height-wise.
They finish with latest single K.M.T.L, which ensures they end with a flourish. It is an enthusiastic set, with plenty of potential and given the exposure and reception they receive, it is likely that this quartet will be in our presence again before too long. 
