Lacuna Coil ‘Sleepless Empire Tour’ @ Liberty Hall, Sydney 14/02/2026.

Roses are red, heavy-metal’s in bloom, charging the atmosphere throughout the room. at long last after ten years, for their headlining might, hope I do, that they play ‘Kill The Light’. Their album ‘Sleepless Empire’ the tour is for, a perfect Valentine’s day night ahead for sure!

Oh how I love the audience vibes at heavy-metal concerts! Truly, that isn’t spoken with sarcasm! The difference with heavy-metal fans at a show rather than those of typically pop/punk fans I find, is heavy-metal concerts are quite simply, a community. Whereas like tonight and other shows on the Lacuna Coil tour, fans are eager to enter the venue and get prime position nice and early, but are respectful of everyone around them and not pushing and over-crowding to excess. Example, my support worker went out of the mosh to get something for me, while I waited at the front barrier with my friend, and had no trouble getting back to me with other’s in the mosh being perfectly happy to ensure his return. Let’s see if these crowd antics are sustained throughout the night now that Lacuna Coil break the silence…

One woman and four guys, sounds like a pretty wild Valentine’s day night hey! I mean of course, the band lead by the incredible power-house vocals of Christina Scabia (clean vocals) and Andrea Ferro (un-clean) The band surge forward, starting the show with ‘Layers Of Time’ off the bands’ 2019 album, followed by ‘Reckless’, ‘Hosting The Shadow’ off the bands’ latest album, and my personal Valentine’s Day present from the band, ‘Kill The Light’. These four head-bangers bring on just that, head-banging as well as fist, pumping and all-out rocking-out from the audience in potent heavy-metal love-making. (not literally people, not literally).

The sound is thunderous and thanks to Christina’s astounding vocals, hauntingly beautiful rapture of gothic-hard-rock and/heavy metal, thick with earth-shattering bass, slicing guitar and rampaging drums. As for the mix of sound from the sound-mixer for this venue? If only I didn’t just use the astounding adjective recently because damn! This venue is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. Typically, a concert especially a rock/metal gig, would be set to levels of sound that’ll distort and damage your ears after six minutes or so of exposure, thus needing the use of protective earplugs to even-out the sound. This being even more-so the case when up close to the stage. However, even though when I recently saw OneRepublic here I don’t need earplugs as the sound is set exquisitely! Even though OneRepublic was acoustic and a much softer style of music, the sound mix tonight is simply perfect, to the point I can enjoy all sounds clearly and naturally without the aid of earplugs! The harshest sounds being the audience cheering in ecstasy around me.

As the show goes on, we’re treated to tracks such as ‘Die And Rise’ (which I always think of the Night King from Game Of Thrones raising the White Walkers) off the bands’ 2014 album, ‘I Wish You Were Dead’ off the bands’ latest album plus ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’ also off the bands’ 2014 album which caps off the set. Like she’s done throughout the set, Christina pumps up the crowd before the band play ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’, with the story of the song and encouraging us all to not let anything stand in our way and to chant along with her “we, fear, nothing!”. Thanks to Christina’s powerful words of solidarity, togetherness, encouragement and thanks, delivered in a confident well-practiced manner that comes with doing this more than a few times and clearly still loving it, the rooms energy and devotion to heavy music and those who create and perform it like Lacuna Coil here tonight is palpable.

When the band leave the stage at the end of ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’ it actually seems questionable whether there’s an encore, as they stay off stage for a few minutes, clearly building the crowds anticipation, which works. Alas there is an encore, which is capped off with the track ‘Never Dawn’ the final song off the bands’ latest album, which I think is very suitably poetic to close the show.

Shows like these to sing and scream along to, being a perfect way to release the stress of life and enlighten the spirits, with a sea of strangers that feel both unknown and part of a family both the band and the audience around you, is what makes heavy music shows special a lot of the time! After all, it is a type of family, we’re all here to get lost in the music and express ourselves and pick each other up when needing help for the most part I find. And if you get to share these kind of experiences with a friend like I got to tonight, even better!

I find that Lacuna Coil have so much to offer in their vast catalogue of songs, that you might not enjoy every song, but like me you’ll likely find songs that you absolutely love.

Until next time,

“we, fear, nothing!”