After originally being scheduled in September 2024, goth rock band New Years Day finally made their long awaited return to Europe, with their short postponed tour starting in Utrecht on Tuesday, January 21st. The newest record Half Black Heart, has been released since March, so the fans have had plenty of time to learn all the lyrics.
The night starts with Conquer Divide, who also were on the originally scheduled tour. The female band (besides a male touring bassist) has quite the following theirselves already, proving in the enthusiasm of the crowd during their set. The venue’s balcony is closed so everyone can be found on the floor today, making it already pretty filled up from the start. The band made it feel like they were only on stage for 15 minutes instead of the 45 they had, because of how easily they entertained the crowd.
Before New Years Day comes up on stage, there’s some confusion about the start times, as the stage remains frighteningly empty besides the drum kit. When the band takes the stage a little after 9pm, they fill up all the open space there easily. The band fronted by Ash Costello has a very recognizable style, with her split-dyed red/black hair. Everyone on stage understands there’s more to a show than just playing music. New Years Day doesn’t just focus on playing the songs, they make it a theatrical experience. A lot of thought went into the way they present theirselves on stage too, as guitarists Nikki Misery and Jeremy Valentine and drummer Tommy Rockoff all have a similar aesthetic. Even the light is matched to the red/black style.
Ash dances around from stage left to the right and back to the left again every minute, interacting with the adoring crowd almost constantly. She grabs some phones from them to make videos from stage, holds their hands every now and then, all while the guitarists around her are just as active in filling the stage, drummer Tommy the only steady fixture in the middle of it all.
New Years Day has been around for 20 years, and there’s a sense of nostalgia with the fans in the crowd. They’ve grown up with the music, and the front woman knows this, stating they’re not just a band, they’re a symbol for finding a place to belong, to feel like less of an outsider with people that are just like you. Everything on this tour has been thought through, giving the crowd a concert experience you don’t get to see all that much anymore. The amount of effort that went into giving the crowd an event like this, more than makes up for all the time the crowd waited for it. No one on stage held back on giving it their all, and the theatrics of it make it so much more fun to watch a show.
The European tour is off to a strong start in Utrecht, which means you can still catch them in the United Kingdom over the next week, ending with a Manchester show on February 1st, supported by Conquer Divide and Fearless Vampire Killers for the rest of the tour.
GALLERY: New Years Day + Conquer Divide at Tivoli in Utrecht, Netherlands
(January 21, 2025)
