Evanescence
London Hammersmith Apollo
20th November, 2006

Evanescence have been criticised for playing short sets and being over-reliant on backing tapes, and tonight they were guilty on both counts, at just 65 minutes and with a swathe of synth effects throughout their show. But what a show! From the off, they have the mostly 20s+ crowd on their side, raising the roof on the pounding opener Taking Me Over and baying at every chugging stop-start guitar riff, at Amy’s usually polished vocals (though one or two off-notes are craftily spun into sliding wails) and at a mighty rhythm section. All but anonymous, the quartet backing the diminutive gothette impress throughout, from the Eastern-toned, air-punching You Won’t Let Me Go and sing-along Going Under, to the closing two-song encore including My Immortal. Before this, though, there are highs such as the Zep-esque crescendo of Whisper, piano-laden Lithium and uptempo Wake Me Up Inside. Amy plays keys, too, at the side of the stage, and is as dazzling in her moves as the stunning light display. What they lacked in longevity was made up for in iridescence, which left the crowd satiated all the same.