Oh, what a circus! Oh, what a show! Times are certainly different to August 1984 when W.A.S.P announced themselves to the world with that auspicious debut album, but tonight Norwich relived those glory days in style. A panel on the band’s backdrop reads “the bloodiest show on Earth.” The theatrical blood may have been replaced with red light, but we were all in as the band prepared to play the debut album in full to Norwich for the very last time.
W.A.S.P
The LCR, Norwich – 20 July 2025
Words And Photography: Steve Ritchie
The queue was sizeable at 6 pm when I was outside interviewing Tailgunner. You can read that report soon. Doors were at seven, and there was immediately a hefty queue for merch, and a great level of excitement was building in the fine city of Norwich.
There can be no better place than the photo pit for the opening three of
I Wanna Be Somebody, L.O.V.E. Machine and The Flame. It is a mouthwatering start and impossible not to shout “L O dum dum V E” for myself and those at the barrier.
There is plenty of action on the stage. Blackie Lawless is up on Elvis, pouring his unique vocal style into the ears of the baying crowd. He sounds great.
He looks great, too, bounding around the stage, making sure all corners of the crowd are in for the ride. The herniated disc problem looks to be a thing of the past.
Bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 29 and 26 years, respectively, are in top form too. Their backing vocals in L.O.V.E. Machine are top-notch, and it all adds to the drive.
Doug Blair’s solos are awe-inspiring. There is a marvellous melodic Metal style to the original solos, but Blair’s delivery moves them up a level, and they punch through the air with a great slab of aggression.
The lights dim as The Flame closes, and I depart the pit. Blackie climbs Elvis and addresses the Norwich crowd for the first time tonight. “Great to be at a place like this,” he says to big cheers. It’s a big speech to a receptive crowd.
Many in the crowd are of an age where Videos… In The Raw was an on-demand lump of plastic in those VHS recorders. But there is a good proportion of younger Metalheads there keen to experience the live music that their parents adored.
“We’re gonna do the album the way you want it,” Blackie tells Norwich and W.A.S.P blast into B.A.D.
I’m near the back, and you can hear Blackie Lawless hit those high notes. He is in top form. You can really appreciate the talents of this combo. Aquiles Priester is pushing the band along from behind the kit. The newest member of the band, his eight years means as a unit they are tight.
The liberty and justice school children voiced intro marks the arrival of School Daze. The chorus is rousing, that special voice which precedes the chorus, rasps through the venue. There is a nice, abrupt finish and whoops and glee abound.
Hellion needs no introduction. I think of a young Blackie Lawless, In The Raw, with skull goblet held aloft, as he tips blood into his open mouth, which flows down his chest.
I look at my pint and consider a tribute. But with The LCR adding a £2 levy to a pint in comparison to the public bar, I’m supping that slowly.
The screens are out and horns are in the air for that first Hellion verse. Then we get to the chorus and the whole venue joins in. Mike Duda gets the lines before the guitar solo, and he spits them out with appropriate venom. Doug Blair aces the guitar solo, as you would expect, biting inside the melody.
I realise, at this point, that at the back, the bass drum is overloaded in the drum mix. I can see the cymbals jumping around, but it is not getting through.
I move and can feel the anticipation for Sleeping (In The Fire) rising. Elvis is lit up, and Blackie Lawless kills that opening line. You have to sing the chorus. The ‘oohs’ are awesome, then the guitar solo hits.
The epic closing solo is enthralling all, especially those close to the barrier stage left. Blackie leaves so Blair can fill his boots, returning towards the end. This is a goosebump moment, and all hands are in the air.
Blackie leans off Elvis for the outro, and flames fill the screen. This is such a classic song, and all who were in the room know it. The stage is red, and Elvis nods as the last notes fade away.
Blackie talks to Norwich, sharing his love of touring this side of the pond and how his fondness for curry has grown.
We hit On Your Knees. I had not listened to the whole album for quite a few years, and this was a real memory jogger. There is a great, simple chorus I had forgotten, as does Tormentor with its gruesome video. The Torture Never Stops brings things to a close in a big finish.
W.A.S.P – I Bid You Welcome
The band depart, then the big guns come out. An audio intro welcomes us all to the electric circus, and we are off again. We get Inside The Electric Circus, I Don’t Need No Doctor and Scream Until You Like It merged together.
Next, The Real Me, Forever Free and The Headless Children in a triptych full of emotion. The Who song was always a cool version, and Lawless sounds great in the drum and bass part.
Forever Free finds a blue light on Elvis. “Cries in the breeze” is an epic line, and plenty join in on the chorus. The cool W.A.S.P vocals on the “ooos” at the end mark a powerful song accentuated by a brief guitar solo. “I wake up nights and hear her crying, crying my name…”
Blackie is up on Elvis again, lit with a purple background of clouds of smoke. He brings the Wild Child riff, nice and laid back. The band does the intro in a cool bring us back moment. “I ride…..”
Fair praise to Blackie Lawless. His back issues have caused problems. But he has a unique voice, Weathered, but still awesome. “We’re doing this show through all America,” he says. “It’s gonna be in Europe. I’m glad you were all here tonight, as we’re doing it again here.”
This was such a cool night. The current longstanding version of W.A.S.P are a great band that deserves all the plaudits. All that was left, was Blind In Texas to send everyone home happy.
