Acoustic sets are often a rare treat to come by in the Metal community, so when they come round it's a wonderful opportunity to see a different side to your favourite bands you don't often get to see or experience. It certainly provided the golden opportunity for fans of Anneke Van Giersbergen, one of the most seemingly underrated vocalists in rock and metal. She was supported by VERSECHOROUSVERSE and it was intimate, magical evening not to be forgotten.

It was a different set up at The Engine Rooms from the usual, there was black curtain splitting the venue in half but you could walk around. There were tables and chairs right by the bar; you walk around the curtain to see the stage. It was the perfect way to set up the intimate atmosphere for an acoustic show that was to be bestowed upon us.

First to take the stage was Irish talent Tony Wright, no not from TERRORVISION but under the name VERSECHOROUSVERSE.  His set emphasised many of his great talents; impressive guitar work, it's amazing what one can accomplish on one instrument and his wonderfully versatile voice, one minute it was soft and gentle, next it was loud and dominant. One of the highlight was his song "Shakedown Sally" which had a very Elvis Presley vibe about it. His great talent and charismatic stage presence made him the perfect choice to open up this intimate evening.

 

Before she made it to the stage it was evident there was excitement and eagerness for Anneke Van Gierbergen to start her performance. As soon as she started to sing and play her acoustic guitar it was clear why that was. The first thing to hit the audience is her beautiful singing voice, honestly one of the most mesmerising voices. It stayed that way throughout her set as she performed a mixture of material which consisted songs by her first band THE GATHERING, her own material and a great versatile selection of covers from modern Rock anthem "Sex On Fire" by KINGS OF LEON to the Country classic "Jolene" by queen of Country Dolly Parton.

A highlight of her performance was her beautiful rendition of "My Mother Said", like some of the songs during her set; she first explained the story behind it before playing.  It provoked some emotions from the audience as the lyrics alone were extremely thought provoking and powerful. That's another perk of an acoustic show, you can often hear the lyrics crystal clear with much volume.

 

It's incredibly safe to say that both Anneke Van Giersbergen and VERSECHOROUSVERSE both gave spellbinding performances, goes to show you don't need to completely turn up the volume to enjoy a live show.

*Photography by Tomasz Wrobel

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