Europe
O2 Academy, Birmingham
Concert review by Debbie Bennett

They will forever more be associated with their 1986 hit The Final Countdown but Europe were keen to highlight in Birmingham last night how they have transformed themselves into a leaner, meaner rockin’ machine.

Since reforming in 2003 after a 10-year break, the Swedish superstars have released three albums highlighting a heavier, rawer sound than they are generally remembered for and garnering some serious acclaim from critics and fans alike.

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They made their point by opening last night’s show with the title track from their most recent album, Last Look At Eden, lead singer Joey Tempest flicking his trademark long hair and taking command of the O2, a brilliant frontman, as guitarist John Norum provided the six-string fire power..

The setlist was peppered with hits from throughout the band’s three-decade career, with later songs like Gonna Get Ready, Start From The Dark and the seriously heavy The Beast giving way to 80s flavoured classics including Cherokee and Rock The Night.

The biggest crowd singalong of the night came with an acoustic rendition of Carrie, while Joey – who can still make the female half of the audience go weak at the knees – namechecked some of the Midlands’ biggest bands – Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest – before confessing that he grew his 80s mane of hair because he wanted to look like Robert Plant.

One of the highlights of the show was the gorgeous ballad New Love in Town, but of course there was only one way to end the night, and as the famous keyboard intro to The Final Countdown rang out, the Birmingham crowd went suitably berserk.

Earlier, support came from veteran Stourbridge rockers Diamond Head, a band who the mighty Metallica have cited as a major influence but who caught out many fans by kicking off the show at a completely unreasonably early hour.

Some people were still arriving as they ended their set at 7.30pm, but at least that was with their standout song, Am I Evil?