Annisokay – The Garage takeover

Is there a better way to start a year filled with gigs, tours and festivals but with the insane energy that Annisokay is known for bringing to any stage? I seriously doubt it.

On January 15th German post-hardcore group brought an electric set to a packed out Garage, famous venue in North London.

Together with German metalcore outfit The Narrator and British heavyweights Heart of a Coward, it was a loud, pit heavy and surprisingly emotional night.

The Narrator, whilst new for many faces in the room, won the crowd quickly with heavy riffs, an engaged and energetic approach and a drum heavy focus (personal appreciation note as a photographer who loves to capture drummers: thanks for the riser at the top of the stage!)

Heart of a Coward kept things simple: get the crowd ready for Annisokay. Vocalist Kaan Tasan said it more than once, and then absolutely delivered – a no holds barred, no fills, tight performance.

It’s not long till Annisokay set foot on stage, after warming up with crowd with a pretty unusual track, from the one and only Taylor Swift, but a welcomed one none the less by the londoners.

Knowing how big their production can be, and how much they move, I had my doubts in them being able to pull off the setup on The Garage’s stage, which is a relatively compact one.

I was more than happy to be wrong about this. Their LED walls lit up the stage beautifully and the backdrop off of Abyss – The Final Chapter looked to be painted by the light washes.

The setlist pulled from their expansive catalogue but leaned heavily – and deliberately – into Abyss – The Final Chapter.

From the starting riff of Into the Abyss the crowd roared and played along for the entire set, moshing, surfing, and embracing the chaos that was thrown at them, for many this being their first serious gig of the year. The wall of death during Human possibly being the biggest the 600 capacity venue has ever seen!

On a technical side, it’s worth noting how good the vocal blend is live: Christoph Wieczorek’s cleans sitting perfectly against Rudi Schwarzer’s guttural screams, the two being able to bounce off of each other with ease, never overstepping but not pulling back their individual styles either.

London setlist attached below, with a photo gallery. Looking forward to seeing them live again!

Setlist