Well with over an hour’s drive in absolutely terrible weather – it poured down all the way – we might have thought about turning round. Except this journey is to see the mighty Within Temptation, and we know we will have a big smile on our faces when we come out. With a very gothic background, Within Temptation take to the stage and very unusually for any band, the first five numbers are from the latest and very good album, ‘Bleed Out’. No problem with that, and soon they have the arena in complete heaven with three classic songs, ‘The Reckoning’, ‘Shot In The Dark’ and ‘Stand My Ground’. Sharon den Adel’s vocals are incredible, reaching high and low with ease and power. The band are hotter than the sun, with such a clear sound.

A great surprise was that the brilliant symphonic diva, Tarja, joining them on stage for a couple of numbers, ‘The Promise’, and a cover own Tarja’s ‘I Feel Immortal’, to rapturous applause from the crowd. And apart from being an incredible singer herself, Tarja is obviously a great friend of the band. Seeing these two powerhouse singers on stage together is a thing to behold. From now on in its classic after classic, before finishing the set with a brilliant version of ‘Faster’. But of course, after they left the stage, it was inevitable that they would come back on for an encore, with four more classic Within Temptation tracks, ‘Our Solemn Hour’, ‘All I Need’, and joined by Tarja again for the sublime ‘Paradise’ before eventually ending with ‘Mother Earth’, leaving the crowd mesmerised and very very happy.

Within Temptation never fail to impress and entertain, and we are happy to drive the hour plus journey home with that anticipated smile on our faces. Epic.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe