Live Review: Health kick off Rat-Based Warfare tour with sold-out Birmingham Institute gig

US trio HEALTH delighted fans with an industrial electronic rock masterclass at a sold out O2 Institute 2 on Tuesday night - the first gig of the British leg of their Rat-Based Warfare tour.

Singer Jake Duszik explained it had been a long time since the band were last in Birmingham and those lucky enough to have been inside for their headline set will have certainly left hoping they’re not waiting as long for HEALTH’s return to the second city.

Health on stage at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Tuesday, October 16, 2024. Photo by David Jackson.

placeholder image — Health on stage at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Tuesday, October 16, 2024. Photo by David Jackson.

HEALTH’s 18-song hour-long set showcased how hard it is to pin their sound to a single genre.

The band built their setlist with songs from throughout their 17-year existence, running from the recent industrial rock sound of ‘CRACK METAL’ to the experimental noise of ‘Zoothorns’ from their first album back in 2007.

Throughout their set the haunting vocals of Duszik were a counterpoint to the thumping drums of BJ Miller, with ‘HATEFUL’ a particular highlight.

HEALTH are more than just a rock band though.

The addition of synth, played by bassist John Famigletti has created a more structured sound and it’s this synth which really builds the mood the band are trying to capture.

Duszik recently described HEALTH’s sound as being influenced by sci-fi movies and the imagery of a dystopian future – something that was definitely evoked in the subterranean surroundings of the Institute’s second room.

Visually, that mood saw the trio backlit for the bulk of their set, with flashes of light occasionally illuminating the silhouettes thrashing around on stage.

HEALTH ended their set strongly, playing their recent cover of Deftones’ ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ followed by crowd favourites ‘TEARS’, ‘We Are Water’ and ‘FEEL NOTHING’.

While chatter during the gig was at a minimum – one moment of light-hearted humour came about when Duszik confessed he had been struggling with a running nose, telling snappers he was aware there may be some “boogers” in the photos being taken of him.

Confession over, HEALTH finished their set with the barnstorming ‘DSM-V’.

Joining HEALTH in Birmingham were noise-rock duo Zetra and American synthwave producer GosT.

Zetra’s opening set evoked images of a different era of black metal, with both members donning corpse paint and aloft podiums, while GosT offered 30 minutes of a blistering combination of death metal guitars and dark synth sounds.

With the Institude 2 packed to the rafters, next time around it’d be great to see HEALTH stepping up to bigger venues to show more people just why, almost two decades in, the LA trio remain so highly rated.

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