Delain / Serenity / Cellar Darling - Alhambra, Paris (France) - 26 October 2017

After a successful worldwide 'Moonbathers' tour and the promotion of their anniversary live CD/DVD 'A Decade Of Delain: Live At Paradiso', the Dutch band Delain hit the European roads once again for a short tour with special guest Marco Hietala (Nightwish) in tow. Starting with Paris, it was an absolute pleasure to attend yet another gig from this collection of friendly and passionate people. On this occasion, Delain played at the sold-out Alhambra venue. The first show on this 'Danse Macabre' tour was very successful, thanks in part to the powerful association of two talented support acts.

Cellar Darling, from Switzerland, opened the show with a thirty minute set that was then followed by one hour performance from Serenity. This evening was the first time I had come across either of them and I have to say that I'll keep following their work thanks to a very professional and powerful performance on stage. I must make a special mention about the fact that this was Cellar Darling's very first tour and no one could have guessed that from their performance tonight!




Delain started playing at 8:45pm and continued until 10:30. They delivered a heavy set-list that comprised of twenty song that was very well selected and different from the one they played last year, thanks to the presence of Hietala.

'The Monarch' opened the concert and was followed by 'Hands Of Gold', a pairing of intro and first song that left me stunned. Ruben Israel, for who it was the last tour with Delain, opened the drums with Timo Somers (guitar). Then up on stage popped the lovely Merel Bechtold (guitar), Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije (bass), Martijn Westerholt (keyboards) and of course Charlotte Wessels, the lead singer, in an absolutely gorgeous stage outfit.

'We Are The Others', usually left for the end of the set-list, was played next, followed by 'The Glory And The Scum' and 'Get The Devil Out Of Me'. 'Danse Macabre' (complete with an extended intro) preceded the first on stage appearance of Hietala for 'Your Body Is A Battleground'. Everybody was clearly waiting for the arrival of the guest of the evening and the loud reaction showed that his presence brought something more to the show. With a very nice complicity on stage, big smiles and nice few words said by Marco, we understood clearly that the guys all have a very good relationship and why they have continued to work together since the very beginning of Delain over ten years ago.

This show was also the first time that 'Scandal' (a Queen cover) had been played live. Throughout the show, the vocal performances of both Wessels and Hietala were remarkable. 'The Hurricane', 'Scarlet' (not played that often either!), 'Army Of Dolls' and the powerful 'Here Come The Vultures' were played before 'Fire With Fire'. Hietala returned to the stage for 'Nothing Left' and 'Control The Storm'. He then retired once again as Delain kept playing with the successful 'Suckerpunch' and 'Not Enough' before they too left the stage. The encore consisted of 'Mother Machine' and 'Don't Let Go' and ended with 'The Gathering' with Hietala on stage with the band for a final time.




At the end of closing in on two hours of intensive and powerful music that covered ten years of Delain and their collaborations with Hietala, the crowd couldn't have been more satisfied. I must also give a special mention to the stage effects, which as usual were very well calibrated (smoke, animated screen/backdrop, bubbles, glitters...).

This evening reinforced my interest in the band and its music, and I will keep covering as many gigs as possible for as long as the band itself continues. If you have never seen Delain perform live, do yourself a favour and don't hesitate any longer!

Julien Marbaix