With Wednesday 13 performing a full set of Murderdolls songs at the Electric Ballroom, Bournemouth’s South Of Salem and Sweden’s Hardcore Superstar completed the bill in what was a show of monstrously epic proportions.
South Of Salem – Hardcore Superstar
Electric Ballroom, Camden – 9 November 2024
Words: Lucy Dunnet
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
South Of Salem
To the delight of South Of Salem frontman Joey Draper, who could be seen bouncing outside of the Electric Ballroom recording evidence, the queue for entry was so long it almost took you out of Camden. The overflow of eager fans was not just for the headliner Wednesday 13 but also for the night’s (very firm) support acts.
The crowd, which even at 6:30 pm was certainly a crowd and not a dribble of support band enthusiasts, had barely had their first sip of beer before the dimming of lights was accompanied by the Halloween Theme.
The sheer number of South of Salem t-shirts in the crowd promised that a show of high energy and crowd participation was about to commence.
Ominous red lights filled the stage as the horror-inspired quintet calmly entered, the final moment of calm before a set filled with animated antics and crowd-adored anthems was played to hellish perfection.
South Of Salem opened with Let Us Prey, coming in “full scream ahead” with the force of an army’s frontline; Draper, Kodi Kasper (guitar), Denis Sheriff (guitar) and Dee Vower (bass) filled the stage with their intensity, synchronised guitar movements and full body headbanging. 
The vocal prowess of this band was evident immediately as their harmonies rang off the stage with an elegant beauty not often found at live hard rock shows.
Jet Black Eyes and Static, with hooks so catchy they could ensnare even the most deceptive of witches, had the wholecrowd raising their fists in the air and belting out the lyrics. This band don’t just play music, they perform it.
From eyebrow wiggles and sly grins to Sheriff seductively, sadistically licking the length of his guitar, South Of Salem were mesmerising to all of the senses. Leader of the pack, Draper, captivated the audience not just with his eargasmic vocals but his physicality, which added an addictive dimension to their show. Teasing hip sways, leg kicks, and hair flicks remind us all precisely why we love live music.
By the time the jarring guitar and booming drum beat intro to Vultures came on, the crowd were completely under South Of Salem’s spell. As Draper sang out, “I see them circling like vultures,” he peered above him whilst acting out circular motions with his hands, causing the crowd to look up, fully expecting to see a flock of vultures.
Each “let me hear you scream” was answered with cheers and mimics of Draper’s actions. Move over Simon Says, it is Salem Says now.
Left For Dead and Cold Day In Hell brought their set to a close with captivating guitar solos and final chants of “all the fear, the blood and tears.”
It has been a while since we have seen a crowd so animated for the first band of the night. South Of Salem left the stage to a long stream of cheers and numerous nods of approval: “What a quality, quality set.”
Hardcore Superstar
Hardcore Superstar may not have been the headliner for the UK leg of this tour, but they certainly delivered an end-of-the-night worthy performance of rockstar carnage.
The instrumental intro, This Worm’s For Ennio, built a folky, serene atmosphere, perfect for crashing through with blinding white lights and the Swedish hard rock swagger that Joakim “Jocke” Berg (vocals), Martin Sandvik (bass), Vic Zino (guitar) and Johan Reivén (drums) have in abundance. 
Berg’s gritty vocals cut through the crowd, sadly more like a dagger than a Viking axe, as there seemed to be some production and volume difficulties. But the grinding guitar riffs, booming bass and drum beats of Into Debauchery and Medicate Me still gave way to an exciting set opening that had the crowd raring to go. 
Raring to go, yes, but wishing we had brought sunglasses because those aforementioned blinding lights only seemed to be getting brighter and more erratic. While a bit of discomfort in the name of rock ‘n’ roll is expected, fingers were being tightly crossed in the hopes that this was just another technical oversight.
With the long hair, the “You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘n Roll” ripped tank top and cheeky one-liners in between songs, Jocke Berg has nailed the rock star aesthetic, and it made his gritty vocal dances and commands that much more exciting.
Hands raised in the air like a sweaty conductor, Berg wanted the crowd to sing back to him the intro for the next song: “la la la la la la la.” Unfortunately, there was one too many “la’s” and one too many note changes for this British crowd, but it was a thoroughly entertaining effort nonetheless.
We Don’t Need A Cure is a slightly creepy, very catchy track that had all heads bobbing by the time Berg showed us how it was done. 
The slow drum beats and drawn-out shouts in the intro to Bag On Your Head had the effect of riding to the top of a drop tower roller coaster, then plummeting as soon as the riff broke in and the crowd ripped into a pit. Leather jackets were coming off, sweat was breaking out on temples, and the lighting guys had finally realised the squinting was not a cool rock fan thing.
Next came one of Berg’s top quotes of the night: “I like hands. Especially London hands. All over me. But seriously, if you don’t have hands, then clap with your feet.” All hands and feet were smacking together as Moonshine began. Thislasted as long as the drum beat and bass notes remained light and exposed, then as soon as the tempo and guitar riffs exploded, the pit broke out in full force. 
As well as hands, Berg also loves pints. His next request was that he would love to share a pint with his friends in the land of the drunk. Clearly thinking this the highest of compliments, the crowd raised their beers and energy levels for Last Call For Alcohol.
No Resistance and Above The Law were carnage, inciting genuine screams from the crowd. Upbeat, sleazy hard rock, with epic guitar solos and the kind of lyrics no one can resist screaming: “I don’t care at all, fuck the law!”
We Don’t Celebrate Sundays was as rowdy a track as you would expect, leading to Berg exclaiming that he wants to “stay here forever.” As prophesied on the frontman’s ripped tank top, You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘n’ Roll was this set’s final track. Horns in the air, “Don’t be a whiny bore, you can’t kill my rock ‘n’ roll” coming out of every mouth, this was a celebration of everything fun and wild that rock music has to offer.
Being the outrageous personalities that they are, Hardcore Superstar were not quite finished with us as Tina Turner suddenly filled the room, letting us know that we were “simply the best.”
Whooping and cheering accompanied Tina as the band exited the stage.
