If i said i was familiar with Final Coil, I would quite frankly be lying, but an opportunity to catch the Leicester lads in Monachopsis is always worth it. So with that said, I headed over to Firebug in Leicester, climbed the stairs to their upstairs room, and settled in for a much more varied night than i had originally anticipated.

Our openers for the night were Fleabagz, an unusual group playing in their own words a “veritable smorgasbord of genres”. Had you told me at the start that this ragtag collective of women would leave me feeling like they were an embodiment of the punk spirit, I probably would have thought you were lying, but something about them really hit home. Perhaps it was the fact that I could sense a lot of my similarity between the lyrical content and my own mothers attitude to things, Bag of Badgers, Box of Frogs and Are We The Arseholes? being prime examples of the introspective searching that I have heard many many times in the past while trying to work out why other people are being less than kind. Ladies, I assure you, you are not the arseholes, it’s definitely whoever’s making you feel like that might be the case.
With elements that explored more punk sensibilities, a la Sex Pistols, and the addition of a trombone and flute throughout for more ska theming, and mixed with riffs that would feel equally at home in the more classic end of metal, I didn’t really know what to expect from Fleabagz, but whatever it was, they delivered on, and gave more.

After Fleabagz had hopped off stage, it was time for the night to move i to more familiar territory in the for of Straight to Demise, a Hertfordshire three piece offering a mix of covers and originals, including the more beatdown tinged Please End Me by Paleface Swiss, to a clear love for industrial nu metal titans Slipknot. Despite having only 2 guitarists and a vocalist, Straight to Demise were a surprisingly intense band. Their musical ability was very evident, and it was hard not to headbang throughout their entire set as their vocalist hopped off the stage to scream into everyones faces. Whilst this was a fantastic set, it would be nice to see a couple more originals from these lads, as it was both a testament to them, and also a shame that by the end of the set I really wanted to go and listen to Paleface and Slipknot.

Now at this stage, I’ve seen the main support Monachopsis a good handful of times, I’d have bought a shirt if they stocked any in my size (currently a 2xl if you guys read this). But the technical death metal quartet always put on a very good show, full of high energy. Opening with Carcass Choir the set is a full force whirlwind from start to finish, pushed on by vocalist Mihir throwing down in the crowd from start to finish. Monachopsis’ show feels more and more tight every time I have seen them, and despite lacking a drummer they never feel like they miss a beat. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to say that their performance and energy levels would be massively enhanced by the addition of a live drummer, however until that time comes Monachopsis are still a genuinely exciting band to watch.

Now that Monachopsis have let off some steam and the mid set offerings have allowed the audience to get out a bit of rage, its time for a slightly more refined experience to come forward.

Headliner Final Coil bring with them an unexpectedly heavy experience, despite being half as pummelling as the previous two bands, Final coils dark atmospheric ambience and world war visuals give them an interestingly dark and weighty feel.
Starting out notably slower than anything else tonight, Final Coil gradually build up over the course of the entire set, with 4 guitarists on stage by the end of the night, their sound feels phenomenally thick with a steady grind, adding to the unsettling feeling that the war footage displayed behind them has created. Throughout the set the footage stops to display singular words. Believe. Accept. Reject. War propaganda is an evident theme, perhaps made all the more poignant by the current political climate.

Had I listened to the band without the visuals, I don’t think it would have been nearly as impactful, as a whole their performance felt very well put together, in a way that makes Final Coil extremely interesting to listen to even for people that are not fans of the more post metal, progressive genre they offer.

You can also check out the gallery from the show below if you want an even better idea of what you missed out on!

Final coil + Monachopsis + Straight to demise + Fleabagz | Firebug | 24/07/26