The Harlot lads are big news right now.
It’s just a couple of days since they beat Marmozets and Beartooth in the Best New Band category at the Golden Gods, and now they’re headlining their first London show.
The Academy is rammed with Asking Alexandria fans who scream loudly as Danny Worsnop walks on stage. And he’s looking the part. The former metalcore frontman looks like he’s auditioning for a role in a remake of Almost Famous with his plum jacket, 70s-style shirt and mirrored shades; he throws rock star poses and even dips into an American drawl.
It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who growled on songs like A Prophecy, but there are times when this act feels like a parody that detracts from the rest of the show. Stylistically, We Are Harlot’s glam-glazed rock is about as far away from Asking Alexandria as possible (despite the latter’s Skid Row covers) but it’s a perfect match for Danny’s new rock’n’roll alumni bandmates, who get everyone into the party mood. Feelgood anthem after feelgood anthem are sandwiched between singles Denial and Dancing On Nails, climaxing with a killer cover of Queen’s Tie Your Mother Down. By the end of the night, there are no doubters left. Danny, you’ve changed… and it suits you, sir.