W.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 40^th 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.

W.A.S.P performing their Golgotha Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Saturday 19^th September 2015

Review by  Kevin Cooper

During the 1980’s W.A.S.P were definitely at their concert peak and were the craziest band of them all. With Blackie Lawless being the only surviving member, they are still one of the best live bands ever.

Returning to Rock City, they treated this appreciative crowd to new tunes and some old classics. Touring to promote their latest album, Golgotha, this band can still rock the rafters.

Opening with On Your Knees, a classic from their debut self-titled album, W.A.S.P sounded as fresh as they did back in the day. Inside The Electric Circus showed why the decision for Lawless to change from bass to rhythm guitar had been a good one, whilst accompanying band members Doug Blair, Mike Duda and guest drummer, Patrick Johansson were brilliant throughout.

Tracks from the new album; Last Runaway and Miss You (Thunderhead) were very well received, showing that this band have still got what it takes, before ending the set with a rocking Golgotha.

The band came back on to the stage for the first of two encores; delivering Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue) from their Crimson Idol album before finishing off what had been a great evening with Wild Child and I Wanna Be Somebody.

With the music still echoing around Rock City, the evening had come to a close too soon. Whilst the set may have been a little short, and the break between the encores a little too long, these aging rockers can still show the youngsters a thing or two.