WEDNESDAY 13 (W/ Fearless Vampire Killers & The Nocturnal Affair) – Corporation, Sheffield – 29/07/2025

A sold-out Corporation crowd on a sticky Tuesday night in Sheffield can only mean one thing. It’s a Wednesday (13) night. Touring off the back of his new album Mid Death Crisis, Wednesday 13 rolled into Steel City flanked by The Nocturnal Affair and Fearless Vampire Killers for a bumper bill that could wake the dead. 

The Nocturnal Affair

Opening the night in commanding fashion were Las Vegas’ own The Nocturnal Affair, heir intro booms through the venue with a carnival sound sample and voice over welcoming fans to their Sheffield debut. This slot comes soon after rave reviews they earned on THAT CKY-less Alien Ant Farm tour last winter. Vocalist Brendan Shane notes the significance of it being their first time in the city, and they put their best foot forward with ‘Done’, as well as ‘Unwound’ from 2022’s Metamorphosis. Early on, they also featured their latest original single from this year, ‘Benefit of Doubt’. The honour of being welcomed back to the UK seems to dawn upon Shane during this track as he remarks mid-song, “We don’t want to go home” whilst looking out at the crowd. That same goodwill is then dispelled somewhat. As an introduction for ‘Backbiter,’ they ask for middle fingers from the crowd, with the boys in The Nocturnal Affair actively encouraging the crowd to “flip us off”. The set is rounded out with two tracks of very high stature for different reasons; the more notable of the two is ‘Cross Me Out,’ which Shane mentions achieved a charting position in the US, a real sign of the heavyweight of a band on show. Being from Vegas, The Nocturnal Affair know a thing or two about having to send the crowd home happy, and finish off on their cover of Haddaway’s ‘What Is Love’, which gets the crowd singing along to see them off for the night.

Fearless Vampire Killers

Next up, Fearless Vampire Killers hit the stage with the characteristic urgency of a band who frequented and even headlined this venue the previous decade. Arriving slightly behind schedule didn’t slow them down one bit, the Islington favourites had the crowd fired up while frontman Kier Kemp was still in the middle of saying hello. Early on in the set features ‘Necromania’ from 2012’s Militia of the Lost, as well as Kemp climbing down off the stage to stand on the barrier and sing with the crowd. FVK have their history with Wednesday 13 as well, with them touring with him for their first big opportunity of a show in London during the band’s first run. That and more anecdotes come from Laurence Beveridge when he and Kier swap duties on rhythm guitar and vocals. He acknowledges they might have their work cut out for them with a crowd this diehard for all things Wednesday, saying “Not sure about you guys, the Steel City can do better!” and citing that Wednesday will want even more energy than them. He attacks main duties on the mic with just as much energy as Kemp, and the swap is a feat that keeps the set very fresh in terms of their material. The biggest signpost of this has to be during ‘All Hallows Evil’ where the band truly just look ike they’re laughing, with bassist Drew Woolnough appearing between Kemp’s legs as they play arguably their most notable song. As mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, Fearless Vampire Killers have been around this block before, headlined this venue, with a strong case to say they could do it again based on this set. 

Wednesday 13

By the time Wednesday 13’s set was due to begin, Corporation was packed tight. The band finally takes to the stage, heads down, boots heavy, leather clad and backlit by green strobes, the tone shifts as they dive straight into ‘Look What the Bats Dragged In’ from the iconic album Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying, and the Dead and ‘Too Fast for Blood’ from the following decade. There was no filler either, with Wednesday & Co barrelling into ‘Rotting Away’ from the latest record Mid Death Crisis, travelling through the now 20 years of Wednesday 13 solo material. As opening salvo’s go, this is certainly one that kicked the doors in by then going right back to 2005 with ‘I Want You… Dead’ to round out the opening quarter.

Now Wednesday 13 has always been one to honour the other acts he’s been included in that gave him platforms before his solo act. The first instance of this is by covering ‘Summertime Suicide’, originally from Wednesday’s Murderdolls days, which tore through the speakers with nostalgia, to be followed by an eve deeper cut with ‘197666’, originally a Frankenstein Drag Queens cut. Wednesday lets the crowd laugh at his expense for a moment, as the group on stage go to begin playing, before realising the point they are at on the stylist is just completely blank. They had briefly started with ‘In Misery’ before realising, and returned to the Mid Death Crisis track after the correction. Wednesday has been in the game long enough now he can play the best bits and still be spoiled for choice. Evidence of this is the fact ‘Good Day to Be a Bad Guy’ from 2022’s Horrifier is this late in the set, and the first track in a hot minute that isn’t either brand now or considered a classic banger for Mr Motherfucker. They then return to Frankenstein Drag Queens classic ‘Die My Bride’, where the Corp crowd knew it by heart, roaring along to the now iconic “Die Die Die” chant like a ritual.

After a brief foray off stage for the majority of the band, and a drum solo from Mike Dupke on drums that was spliced with samples from horror films, Wednesday reappeared with a guitar in hand and a cowboy hat tipped low. ‘No Apologies’ is a moment of cementing the Mid Death Crisis album as a success. Wednesday stands up front with guitarists Jack Tankersley & Ashes, and the response from the crowd begs an explanation as to why this tour wasn’t in a bigger venue. There’s little time for regret or questions at a Wednesday 13 show though, and ‘From Here to the Hearse’ brought the riffs right back. The final track of the main set is easily the most poignant. The elephant in the room during ‘Nowhere’ is that it’s another Murderdolls staple. The latter half of this tune saw Wednesday shout out both Ozzy Osbourne and Joey Jordison to loud, lasting cheers. Wednesday has always been quick to praise his and Jordison’s friendship despite the lack of a Murderdoll’s presence, and had also published on social media that he travelled to Birmingham after the show to visit the Ozzy Osbourne memorial. Rock and Roll doesn’t stop, and that’s emphasised by the crowd staying statue still as the band walk off stage, as they simply want more. The final efforts for the night were a triple threat of crowd favourites, the anthemic ‘I Walked With a Zombie’, with Wednesday confessing his adoration for the crowd, before wishing the ever filthy ‘Bad Things’ upon the Sheffield faithful. Both tracks from Transylvania 90210 get everyone started and very riled up, before one final and gloriously absurd ‘I Love to Say Fuck’ from the Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 years, complete with “Fuck” emblazed umbrella and many a middle finger in the crowd, but a lot of love too.