ShareW.A.S.P. performing their Album One Alive Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Sunday 27th July 2025.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
American heavy metal band W.A.S.P. were at Rock City on Sunday night for their highly anticipated Album One Alive Tour which is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of their ground breaking debut album which was released in August 1984, and for the first time they played it from start to finish together with a few classic’s from their back catalogue.
Until this tour they had never opened with I Wanna Be Somebody, the first track from the album, but the sold out Rock City crowd embraced the whole idea as they sang along and hung on every word from the bombastic front man and guitarist Blackie Lawless, who was joined by long standing members, bassist Mike Duda, guitarist Doug Blair and drummer Aquiles Priester for what was simply a really hypnotizing performance.
L.O.V.E Machine allowed the crowd to catch their breath and who were quickly captivated as they chanted along to the chorus. Taking no prisoners in their quest for old school heavy music the crowd were given a chance to relive W.A.S.P’s electric stage presence as Blair’s thundering riff on On Your Knees threatened to bring Rock City crashing down.
Much of that first album has always been their staples in a live set, but for this tour it was a real treat to hear the likes of School Daze, The Flame and album closer, The Torture Never Stops. And with Duda laying down the low end to the classic songs, giving them some bite, such as on songs like Tormentor and Sleeping (In The Fire) the crowd had been delivered a real treat.
Things got rowdier during the encore with a couple of medleys that included songs such as Inside The Electric Circus, I Don’t Need No Doctor and Scream Until You Like It which showcased Lawless’ aggressive style of playing and singing. The Real Me, Forever Free and The Headless Children had the crowd shouting the lyrics back at these seasoned musicians.
Closing the show with the two big singles from 1985’s The Last Command, Wild Child and Blind In Texas were great to hear and went down a storm with the crowd, as they managed to keep up with the band’s breakneck pace that never faltered throughout the set.
