OOC: The headline performance for the Chaos Awards will be posted in two separate posts, please make sure to read both :)

After the announcement of the headline act, and the momentary cheer, a sort of hushed silence falls over the audience, as most of the crowd don't know who or what to expect on stage in front of them. The lights on the stage slowly dim and then the arena is washed in complete darkness, aside from the odd camera flash and the safety lights at the back. A flashlight at the rear of the stage beside the speakers flashes once, twice, three times, and then all of a sudden, there seems to be a tense feeling in the crowd that something special is about to go down.

An old style movie countdown appears on the large screen at the back of the stage, sitting silently and frozen on ten, its image crackling and breaking up with feedback periodically. The hushed awe and anticipation hangs over the audience for a while longer. Most people had been expecting to see GirlSpice headline the awards, and for much of the week, Twitter had been full of excited fans awaiting their return to the stage for the first time since the end of 2011. This feels different though. It feels too dark, too atmospheric and even somewhat too theatrical for GirlSpice, in spite of their background of being well choreographed dancers. This is something far removed from pop, it appears, and the tension continues to hang thick in the air.



All of a sudden, there's a thump of a drum from somewhere in the darkness, loud, instantaneous, and lonely among the vast nothingness on the stage. A low humming noise then replaces it, continuous, long, monotonous and imposing. The stage remains without any light for around 15 seconds with the continuous drone, before it stops, and the clock begins to countdown. The screen comes to life with a crackle, and the numbers count down from five to one with a beep at every integer. When it reaches zero, the beeping noise becomes more continuous and faster, before it turns into one long high pitched whine almost like a flatline, and the screen turns black once more just as the sound dies instantly. The crowd, now intrigued and ready for the imminent arrival of whomsoever is about to headline the Chaos Awards, chat fervently among themselves for a few seconds, before an intense brightness overpowers the whole theatre. An audible gasp comes from the audience as the stage is illuminated by the screen turning fully white.

When the lights finally fade, most of the screen turns back to black, save for four letters, white in colour and standing in block formation on the monitor, displaying the world “CULT”. The silence comes back over the crowd once more as the sound of drumming reappears seconds later, this time sustained and consistent. It sounds like a marching beat, mostly bass drum but with a sliver of snare added in for a bit of flair. After a brief time, the lights on the stage come on, dim once more, but showing more of the set, which is now decorated with a carpet of smoke snaking around the mic stand at the front and licking at the drum set at the back of the otherwise empty and imposing area.



Just then, from both sides of the stage, a line of people start to walk on, each of them wearing long robes, the hoods pulled up over their heads, tied around the waist with rope. Each of the figures is carrying a candle, long and white, the flames dancing mesmerisingly as they walk slowly towards the centre of the stage, marching as one. They fall into formation, lining up in rows across the stage until the whole place is filled with hooded figures. Just as one of them, the front and centre figure steps forward, each of the hooded characters lift the candles just in front of their heads, and all at once, blow them out. This plunges the stage into darkness once more.

After the briefest of seconds, the silence is broken by a keyboard sound, quiet and high pitched, playing a sort of alarm sound, over and over, mid-paced and haunting yet still somewhat exciting among the silence and anticipation that still wrings around the Chaos Awards arena, everyone on the floor and in the celebrity area now enthralled by the theatrical entrance taking over the Chaos Awards. After a while of the keyboard playing its looping electro sounds, a voice suddenly comes out of nowhere. The lone male voice is something of a mystery. It is smooth and pleasant, sounding very gentle in its tone and style, literally whispering at some points. Most of all, it is quite unfamiliar, something that seems to surprise much of the crowd as the mysterious man continues to sing beautifully from the darkened stage.

Time to repay,
The crimes of yesterday,
The rules without a game,
You know we felt their pain.
I still believe in fame,
But you're following on,
The bottom line,
You walk without the shame

The keyboard sound is then suddenly accompanied once more with the sound of marching drums, much faster and snare heavy than before, and sounding as if it is part of a marching band. The vocals have died away for now, the music getting louder to fill the arena with sound. The drums are then accompanied by the sound of marching feet from the stage, getting louder and louder, as the hooded figures on the stage appear to be walking, either on the spot, or around the set. Still nothing can be seen when all of a sudden, a wall of voices emanates from the darkness, the group vocals of all the figures on the stage sounding a lot higher than might have been expected. The voices ring out over the drums, and as they begin, the physical marching halts. The vocals are quite haunting, straddling the line between speaking and singing.

This is a cult,
This is our culture,
From the cradle to the crave,
We will be nurtured.
These are our battle scars,
This is a call to arms,
It's time that we march,
To rise up from our farms.

The second the voices from the group stop, there is another single drum beat, this time loud, decisive and piercing that thunders across the arena. Silence follows before another lone beat plays out, this one even louder and more thunderous. When the second plays though, the stage is momentarily illuminated by a single pulse of light. When it lights up, the crowd can see that most of the hooded figures have been cleared from the stage, with only three being left there alone, standing in front of the lead mic with their arms folded in front of them. The sound then turns back to silence once more.

In the few seconds of quiet that now fill the arena of the Chaos Awards, the word Cult fades away from the big screen to be replaced by a symbol which seems to unravel as if a physical banner on the monitor. Laid on a black background is a white triangle shape with a single line across the centre of it. It looks almost like a flag as it appears to blow casually in the wind. There is then a hushed tension again, as if something is about to happen. Can people see movement on the stage? Some in the front squint their eyes and point at the stage.



Just then, from nowhere, four loud beats on a crash cymbal can be heard ringing out, and everyone's attention is grabbed. A voice calls out in French over the PA, a woman's voice, soft and talking in a perfect cultured Parisian accent, slow but with a sort of sense of authority running through it.

Suivre Pour une Raison

The French part, which says “Follow for a reason”, is swiftly followed by the introduction of a drum beat, loud and catchy. It sounds like it is being played by someone on stage, rather than over the PA for the first time, and although the lights are still out on the stage, the crowd are becoming a little bit more animated, with some people starting to clap along in time to the sound of the music. After a few rounds of the drums playing the energetic beat, there is a loud sound of a guitar string bending and then sliding. At this point, the stage lights come on for real for the very first time.

The sound of a heavily synth-layered rock song blares out as the band on stage play it out, and as everyone's eyes adjust to the bright lights, the main figure in the centre of the stage comes into focus. Stood behind a perfectly white guitar, clad in a black jacket covered in silver studs and with his hair cut into a mohawk, is none other than Chaos Records owner Scott RH. He plays through the intro of the highly energetic electro-rock track as he bounces up and down, and as the realisation of who is playing starts to hit people in the crowd, a truly incomprehensible scream of delight comes from the audience. Scott smiles out at the crowd, buoyed by their reaction and screams out loud, unheard over the sound of the music and the adulation of the audience, but his beaming smile says more than a million words ever could.



Alongside Scott, and every bit composed as the vocalist is energetic, is his long time bandmate and best friend Mark Talley. Standing with one foot on the monitor at the front of the stage as he plays his guitar, his hair is perfectly teased into his now familiar and stylish quiff. He wears a leather jacket and a black shirt, and as he turns to Scott, the two's eyes meet, and Talley raises his brow in surprise at the truly massive reaction. At the rear of the stage sits the newest member of the band, perched behind his drum kit, the unassuming and quiet Josh Meyer, a former solo artist who took to the drums for a chance to play in the world's biggest band. As they continue to hammer through the energetic and infectious opening of the track, the sign at the back of the stage changes a little, the triangular logo being flanked top and bottom by the words “The Cult – Blood of Wecz”. The arrival of the confirmation that this really is a Blood of Wecz show brings yet another massive cheer from the floor.

When the intro of the song ends, the lights stop flashing, the stage goes a little darker again, and the grinning Blood of Wecz frontman makes his way to his microphone. He grips the mic with two hands clad in fingerless red leather gloves, while Mark Talley plays a quiet and slow guitar riff. When Scott opens his mouth, there is no sign of the screaming, violent styled vocals that previously epitomised everything that Blood of Wecz were. There is no pounding, thumping metal track behind him. Instead, this verse is gentle, its music quiet and slow, and Scott's voice is soft and smooth. For the first time in his long career, he is showing that he has a fantastic singing voice, and as the crowd continue to chant for him, Scott grips the microphone tight with both hands, his eyes closed as he sings.

I was born from a womb of a woman of war
Chased from the safety, and emerged into hell
But there's light in the tunnel, solace in an open door

I'm exposed to the rain made from tears of the meek
Salt stings the wounds rolls from eyes of the weak
There's a light in the tunnel, a way to escape this war

Yeah!

At his shout of “yeah”, the word echoes and reverberates around the arena. Scott opens his eyes, letting go of the mic and grabs his guitar again. He smiles over at Talley as the two play a soft yet chunky riff, flanked by soft keyboard in the background. This time Scott's vocals are much more animated. They have a much more intense edge to them, the smoothness and softness in the first verse now gone. As Scott sings the pre-chorus section, Talley walks to the front of the stage again, standing atop the monitor at the front, shouting the lyrics out to the crowd. Following on from his arrival onto the solo scene just a few weeks ago, the guitarist appears to have drawn much more in the way of confidence, already seeming far more animated than he ever was in the past with Blood of Wecz.

Throughout the pre-chorus, the lights at the rear of the stage turn up, almost creating a wonderful shadow effect behind the band as they work their way through the brand new sounds of Blood of Wecz. Scott RH continues to beam out, seemingly unable to wipe the smile from his face, truly delighted to be stood on a stage once again with the band that got him to where he is today. This section of the song is also layered with something of a sense of anticipation. Throughout, the guitars get louder and louder, the sound creeping up and up as if towards a crescendo. At the back of the stage, Josh Meyer sits patiently, taking a swig of water from the bottle at his side as he waits to be called into action again for the chorus.



Open your arms, walk into the lair of the dark
Don't be afraid to rise and show them your spark
These demons inside, beneath you they'll hide (hide hide)

When the chorus kicks in, the lights around the stage kick in to produce a fantastic laser show. The chorus itself is drum and keyboard heavy. The guitars are still present, but far quieter than throughout the rest of the song, as the percussion is played quickly and at a constant pace, layered with a real electro-rock tone from the keyboard that really gives the track an edge that is not only very different to what Blood of Wecz have produced in the past, but also very much unique in the world of music at the moment. Scott's voice has a reverbation and echo to it as he stands back from the mic a little, almost yelling into it. This gives off an illusion of distance in his voice, and producing a sound that is, along with the musical accompaniment, massive and almost epic. It sounds adventurous and like something no one else on earth apart from the flamboyant Scott RH could produce.

As he sings the chorus, Scott holds the mic tight in both hands, standing back from it a little. He occasionally raises a hand to wipe his mohawk back into place as he stares out over a crowd that is enamoured, an audience that is well and truly his. To his side, Mark Talley stands, head held high among the lasers that fly around in time with the drums, green white and red in colour, as he surveys the true scale of the spectacle in front of him. And at the rear, Josh Meyer, now topless and soaked with sweat, thumps the drums hard, creating the far reaching echoing pound of percussion that epitomises this epic chorus. The lasers are emanating from directly behind his kit, and as such gives him a sort of light pod all around him, turning him into a shadow.

Tonight, I will wander
One day, they will follow on
No time to remember
Why I'm king, of a million pawns
No-ooo
Woah-oh-oh

As the chorus ends, the music stops stops abruptly, and the lights all die save for a single spotlight that shines down on Scott RH. He presses his finger to his lips as if to silence the screaming crowd, but this only brings yet another cheer, causing him to smile again. As he looks down, his finger still pressed tightly to his mouth, from out of the silence, the same French voice from the start of the track comes again, and as she speaks, the lead singer closes his eyes and bows his head momentarily. The voice is joined by the silhouette of a woman that is beamed onto the spotlight alongside Scott and he raises his arm as if to lock hands with the silhouette, which then disappears in a wisp of black smoke, causing the singer to look to the side in mock shock.



Pensez par vous-même

The French voice (saying "Think for yourself") fades as quickly as the silhouette before it, and Scott is again left alone in the dark and quiet. A single quiet drumbeat signals the start of the second verse however, and Mark Talley comes back into focus in the dim light. This time he plays an intricate and soft guitar piece as Scott sings. The guitar is technical and echoes softly, but is also very quiet and barely audible. As Talley stares down at his instrument, Scott stands back at the mic again. For this verse, his voice is pared back, toned down and beautiful in its execution. He almost whispers, lending yet another sexy and mysterious edge to the man who has always been famed for his image. The soft voice carries out hauntingly over the crowd from the darkness, allowing the deep and meaningful lyrics to really resonate with the crowd. Out in the audience, there are a few members who stand with lighters raised in the air for the slow and soft section of the song.

They pray to their God, but I'm not what I seem
Betrayal and torture and no cure for their ills
Tore them to pieces and raped them of all their dreams

I'm more than a man, and I'm closer to hell
Born of a bitch and the seed from below
Now my halo is gone and without my own wings I fell

All of a sudden, the lights come back on again, and through the instant brightness, Mark Talley and Josh Meyer are seen at the back of the stage, Talley facing the drums as the beat of the pre-chorus returns, both drums and guitars playing a steady and building riff that gets louder and louder. Meyer shouts out to Talley and the pair nod and smile at each other. Meanwhile, up front, Scott RH has reached behind him again for his guitar. He is stood front and centre still as the song once more builds to its massive crescendo. He meanders through the reverberations and echoing pre chorus, shouting into his microphone as he looks up into the rafters of the theatre, as if staring off longingly into the distance. The Cult notion of the song is encompassed by the fact that the bass drum keeps up its solid marching sound throughout this stage of the track, mirroring the marching of the cult members who appeared on stage at the very start of the performance.



Towards the end of the pre-chorus, Talley walks back to the front of the stage alongside Scott RH and looks at him, at which point Scott turns and sees him, nodding and smiling, the pair clearly enjoying being back on stage again together, clearly revelling in the unexpected and wonderfully received return to the stage of Blood of Wecz, the band premiering new music for the first time since 2008, and appearing live on stage together for the first time for more than three years. Scott raises his hands in the air as the end of the pre-chorus becomes imminent, letting go of his guitar and almost screaming the last line, with the final word of the section echoed over and over by the PA, carrying far and long.

Open your arms, walk into the lair of the dark
Don't be afraid to rise and show them your spark
These demons inside, beneath you they'll hide (hide hide)

For the chorus this time, the stage darkens just a little, and there is no return of the lasers. This time, the stage is awash with strobe lighting, flashing brightly and quickly, making it look like the band are moving in some sort of stop start animation style. This chorus has no guitar part, allowing the drums and the very electronic sounding keyboard tones to dominate. This allows Mark Talley to really get into his new found confidence, and the guitarist stands atop the front monitor, clapping along in time with the music and trying to get the crowd to do the same, as he sings, a wide smile spread across his unassuming and fresh face.

Alongside him, Scott has now taken the microphone from its stand as he sings. Walking across the stage amid the strobe lighting makes his every movement become exaggerated, jumpy and as if he is going in slow motion. He moves to stand right in the centre of the stage, back from his microphone, and just ahead of the drums. Despite his slender yet toned frame, his mere presence alone makes it look like he fills so much of the stage, commanding an arena in a way that very few in the industry can and ever have been able to do; a presence and aura that has long had Blood of Wecz heralded as one of the best live acts in history. As he stands centre-stage blaring out the lyrics from what sounds like the soles of his feet, again giving the chorus its hugely epic feel, Scott raises a hand in the air, pumping his free fist in the air in time with the drums. The strobes make this motion look all the more stunning as a scene, along with the flailing limbs of Josh Meyer behind him, and the crowd respond in like, pumping their fists toward the stage in time with Scott.

Tonight, I will wander
One day, they will follow on
No time to remember
Why I'm king, of a million pawns

Tonight, I will wander
One day, they will follow on
No time to remember
Why I'm king, of a million pawns

Towards the end of the chorus, Scott makes his move and runs back towards the front of the stage again, putting his microphone back onto the stand and smiling out over the crowd. He reaches for his white McSwain guitar again and turns to Talley, raising his eyebrows and sticking his tongue out, purely amazed at the reaction the band has seen so far. Scott strums the guitar slowly, as does Talley, and the drumming slows down, with the thumping electro tone of the keyboard also mellowing, becoming more of a haunting backing to the track for the final bridge. Scott looks off into the distance again as his voice and demeanour change one final time. He scans the arena, the crowd now being lit up in turn by spotlights that sweep over the audience as if searching for an escaped prisoner or wanted man. Scott smirks slightly before he starts to sing.

The voice that comes from the 29-year-old veteran this time is much more soft and beautiful than it has been throughout the song. It is still something of a surprise to think that Scott has hidden this excellent voice for the past decade and a half during his time as a metal vocalist, as his skill is undoubted. The slow and emotive final few lines of the song are a perfect way to bring it to an end. The track is a rollercoaster of a commentary on the notion of cults that exists in the world of music, none more so than the fan base that has followed Blood of Wecz and demanded a come back for the best part of five whole years. The final bridge sounds like some form of warning about how treacherous it can be to blindly follow anyone in life, and as Scott makes his way through it, he closes his eyes as if remembering something that triggered the lyrics and themes of not only the song, but this entire theatrical and flamboyant stage show that has seen Blood of Wecz return tonight.

I'm not a prophet don't make me a God
Step out from my shadow and walk from the dark
Follow me now and I'll break your heart
Be free from your shackles, I'm the flood to your ark
I swear to my God this is far from the start
I want you to see on your own in the dark
Follow me now and I'll break your heart
I'm not your answer I'll rip you apart
Follow me now and I'll break your heart
I'm not your answer I'll rip you apart
I will break! Your! Heeeeeart!



The last line of the Blood of Wecz track is shouted again, against a background of silence, a warning among a wall of nothingness. When Scott yells it, he reaches out in front of him as if towards the crowd, before he then raises the hand above his head. At this point, Josh Meyer plays a quick flourish on his drum kit, culminating in a huge final beat. The last hit on the drums comes in tandem with a massive pop as a firework at each side of the stage thunders into the life, illuminating the arena. As Scott stands still with his hand raised in the air, his chest rising and falling quickly, a wall of cheering thumps into the three on the stage as the crowd vocalise their adoration for the return of the rock heroes. Mark Talley pushes his hair back into place as he stares out into the screaming and cheering masses, grinning wildly as a chant of "Blood of Wecz! Blood of Wecz! Blood of Wecz!" rings around the Chaos Awards arena.