Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch rockin' out at the LG Arena in Birmingham

Earlier on this month, Jason (my boyfriend) and I set off to Birmingham for two (slightly contrasting) events, Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch on the Thursday and then the Clothes Show Live on the Friday. We'd booked to stay at the Premier Inn on the NEC complex and arrived there just in time for check-in after a day of Christmas shopping in Tamworth. We had a lovely meal in their Thyme restaurant early that evening before heading off for quite a chilly walk over to the LG Arena to see two of our favourite bands, Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch. Needless to say, the event was absolutely fantastic! In fact, it's probably the best gig i've ever been to.

Avatar were on stage first, followed by Five Finger Death Punch. FFDP were incredible, just as expected. I first saw them live at Download Festival 2013 and they just blew me away if i'm honest. Ivan (the lead singer) performed exceptionally well and put on a great show as always. If you haven't seen them live, I really would recommend seeing them if they're your sort of thing. Ivan knows how to keep the crowd entertained and often does little sections where the crowd can join in and really feel better linked with the band.

As for Avenged Sevenfold, words cannot describe how good they were! This was only my second time seeing them I think but they get better everytime; their show was just spectacular! I'll be seeing them headlining Download Festival 2014, which i'm really excited about already. I'm intrigued to see how they can improve on their performance in Birmingham, i'm sure it's not even possible. Again, Avenged Sevenfold are an absolute must-see live! Their show was just out of this world, it featured a giant deathbat which had flames inside it and around it, as well as a line of flames on the stage, which were all perfectly timed with the music.They played a lot of songs off their latest album, Hail to the King, which has had a tremendously good reaction from their fans and the metal industry. In fact, it's quite possibly their best album yet!

I had a fantastic time in Birmingham and I must say i'm on the look-out again for more gigs to go to soon! But until I book anymore, I guess i'll just have to look forward to Download 2014. I took a fair few photos at the LG Arena and back at the hotel so here are some from that night... Enjoy!