Above: Black Veil Brides manager Rob “Blasko” Nicholson of Mercenary Management (left) pretends to give singer Andy Biersack an earful as Lava president/founder Jason Flom playfully chomps a cigar.
Frigid weather didn’t stop scores of teen girls from packing New York’s Best Buy Theater on Jan. 25. Frantically pressing against the barricade before the stage, their screams were as piercing as diehard Bieber-maniacs.
The crowd wasn’t swooning for Justin Bieber though: It had come to worship Hollywood’s Black Veil Brides, an unlikely “boy band” where the performers actually play instruments, on its The Church of the Wild Ones headlining world tour.
The proudly glam-metal act recently scored its best Billboard 200 showing two weeks ago when its third album, Wretched & Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones (released on Standby/Lava/Republic), debuted at No. 7 with 42,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Girl and guy fans alike sported black face paint in honor of the Brides, who take their costume and body-paint cues from Kiss and old-school Motley Crüe. But the band has its own message of positivity for the Black Veil Bride Army.
Bridal party: Black Veil Brides posed for a picture worthy of the family album during their pre-show backstage meet-and-greet. Top row (from left): Drummer Christian “CC” Coma, bassist Ashley Purdy, singer Andy Biersack and guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx Ferguson. In the front (from left) Republic VP of international Brian Sutnick and VP of marketing Frank Arigo, Black Veil Brides manager Rob “Blasko” Nicholson of Mercenary Management, Charlie Walk (the new executive VP of Republic), Lava president/founder Jason Flom, Republic senior VP of promotion and operations Gary Spangler and executive VP of marketing Jim Roppo.
“Don’t let anyone tell you what you should listen to, what you should wear or who you should be,” Andy Biersack, the band’s towering, slender vocalist, advised the crowd between songs. Biersack is so intent on inspiring people to fulfill their own dreams, he encouraged anyone in the crowd who plays an instrument to start their own band.
“I want you to look at us and say, ‘Fuck those motherfuckers. I’m gonna start a band that’s even better than they are,'” he said good-naturedly. Black Veil Brides dished out a credible cover of Billy Idol‘s “Rebel Yell” and mixed up the setlist with material spanning their three-album catalog, like “Knives and Pens,” “Rebel Love Song,” “Love Isn’t Always Fair,” “Wretched and Divine” and “I Am Bulletproof.”
With their good looks, nonstop energy, raise-the-rafters anthems and growing devoted following, it looks like Black Veil Brides and success are going to have a very long-lasting marriage.