Originating from Atlanta in 1999, Fozzy has built a healthy fan base and grown in popularity throughout the last 25 years. A number of fantastic releases have helped, along with the profile of lead vocalist Chris Jericho. His wrestling days have been far from over since joining AEW, and he has been able to keep this band going at the same time. Both are heavy-duty tasks. Along with his own podcasts and interviews, it amazes me how Chris has had the time to do all of this. And at such high standards.
Fozzy
Electric Ballroom, Camden – 22 February 2024
Words And Photography: Razorrhead Productions
By the time Pistols At Dawn and The Hot Damn [more on this later] had finished their accomplished sets, Camden’s Electric Ballroom was now fully packed with eager fans readying themselves for another dose of just plain brilliant Fozzy Heavy Metal.
Fozzy arrives and kicks off with Spotlight, then into Bad Tattoo and Painless. Chris Jericho is still amazed by the amount of support and crazy reactions he gets from the fans as they shout “FOZZY, FOZZY, FOZZY” in between songs.
Of course, Chris encourages this as he investigates the crowd with his hand against his ear and a huge smile on his face, subtly asking for more praise, which he certainly deserves.
Chris isn’t the only one holding all the energy, though. Each band member is just as capable of getting the same reactions as him. Guitarist Rick Ward performs some mind-melting guitar solos while looking like his own guitar is trying to take over him.
Not forgetting bassist PJ Farley and guitarist Billy Grey, who share their own freedom of expression on their instruments, whether it’s swinging them upside down or giving them a good beating.
Drummer Grant Brooks takes a slightly more chilled approach, keeping the beat and making sure the rest of the instruments are in time with each other. It’s an essential role and one Brooks carries out perfectly.
Just before their fourth song, Chris is seen holding a smoke guy as he sprays it around the venue to his own amusement before kicking into Do You Wanna Start A War? This is followed by Lights Go Out and Relax, which is by far one of my favourite versions of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood song.
Even halfway through the set, there is no sign of losing any energy. The band is clearly enjoying themselves, but at this point, it is hard to see who is having the most fun, the fans or the band.
Chris is certainly used to entertaining people from his wrestling days, and his lively enthusiasm is infectious. His arms are constantly waving about in effortless motions, backed up by his very colourful clothing that gives you the glam rock vibes. Leopard print leather jacket covered in spikes. How cool is that?
They continue with songs such as Sane, I Still Burn, and Nowhere To Run, running through to finish the set with an encore of Judas and a fantastic cover of Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Pop.
This was certainly another successful night for Fozzy as they thanked their fans and left backstage.
The venue is called the Electric Ballroom for a reason. This is a fantastic venue, and with the three bands that performed here tonight, the whole area felt electrified.
“We continue to grow in the UK as well,” Chris Jericho told MetalTalk before the start of this tour, “which is very important to us because we’ve been coming to the UK since 2005, and it’s always been like a second home to us.”
I’m sure it won’t be long until we see Fozzy again over here. They certainly have a love for performing in the UK, and on tonight’s evidence, we love them too.
