Black Veil Brides w/ Saint Agnes @ The Dome, London - 17/06/26

Black Veil Brides turn BVB Day into pure nostalgia and chaos

It has been three days since Black Veil Brides’ main stage Download performance and now they are back into basics, playing venues across the UK which feel like the band has gone back to their roots. Small, intimate, close up, allowing the distance between artist and fan to be eliminated; and boy, has it been long since this happened. As a fan of BVB since 2011, having “Knives & Pens” as a personal mission statement, I request permission to scream about how amazing this opportunity was. And to top it off, Black Veil Brides’ frontman Andy Biersack reminded everyone that today is actually BVB Day, aka the day that Knives & Pens actually got released. So it could not be a more suitable celebration of the band’s history and influence in modern rock culture.

Opening the night were Saint Agnes, who were here to ‘have a bad time’. Predictably, they delivered exactly the sort of set you want from a support band: immediate, punchy, sharp and eye-catching. Their sound sit somewhere between gothic menace and punk volatility, with enough bite to wake up even the most stubborn early arrivals. Their performance had real urgency to it, slowly pulling the crowd closer and closer to the barricade, ending up in full engagement. To my eyes, Saint Agnes accomplished their mission. Highlights of their set included ‘Bloodsuckers’, ‘Good Boy’ and ‘The Beast’, alongside heavy riffs, jumps and a lot of sweat to set up the mood for the night.

Now, let’s jump onto the main course. It is easy to forget after all this time how divisive Black Veil Brides were when they first emerged. Becoming one of the most recognisable rock acts in the 2010s, they had their own fair share of booing and bottling, as well as some hardcore fans who were willing to follow them anywhere. Over time, however, BVB did something impressive: they endured. They kept releasing conceptual albums, refining their sound, establishing their identity and showing off that rebellion is resilience not revolution. Fifteen years on, the audience tells the story. Their original fans are still here; and so are new ones.

Playing in a small venue like The Dome brought a new sense of community into their performance. Starting off with the iconic “Knives & Pens”, they had the whole room singing, whilst the front row included people imitating the band’s iconic makeup and dressing up like it is still 2011. There was a special sense of excitement and belonging in that room, which is BVB’s greatest strength. Following on with “Bleeders” and “Hallelujah”, the crowd kept screaming back the lyrics showing that the band’s musical journey continues to capture the audience’s soul.

And then, in between all the noise and chaos, comes Andy. He is charismatic, sharp and very funny. One of the evening’s biggest strengths was Andy’s humour between the songs; whether it was self-deprecating sarcasm, dry wit or affectionate jokes, he understands exactly what BVB means to fans, without taking himself too seriously. In between jokes that genuinely had the whole room cracking up, he still took moments to thank the fans for the love they have showed over the years, as well as presenting personal stories and antics to frame the context of the songs.

From a long-time fan perspective, the humour and the setlist just hit the sweet spot. Older material such as "Rebel Love Song”, “Wake Up” (the one they didn’t play at Download), “Saviour”, “Sweet Blasphemy” and “Wretched and Divine” landed exactly as hoped. Meanwhile, newer material such as “Vindicate”, “Revenger” and “Faithless” sat comfortably alongside classics, with seamless transitions and emotional peaks matching lighter moments and keeping the momentum high through the night. The crowd reaction to the atmosphere was equally emotional. You could see multiple generations of fans in the room, people like me who had been here since 2011 and younger fans discovering the band in real time. So, as expected, every chorus really hit hard.

As the final notes rang out and the house lights inevitably came up, one thing felt obvious: Black Veil Brides have long since outgrown the narratives people once tried to box them into. Trends come and go, scenes evolve, but BVB’s ability to make outsiders feel seen remains unchanged. Fifteen years later, that legacy feels louder than ever.