Rammstein light up London with giant flames and industrial metal

It's not for the faint hearted but those who are brave enough to enter the realm of Rammstein are in for a treat

Even though you know they’re coming, it’s somehow still a surprise when giant flames shoot out of a stage floor and you can feel their heat from 100 feet away.

For most bands, that’s the limit of their pyrotechnical ambitions but it’s barely a warm up for Rammstein, the German rock monsters who brought their signature mix of thumping heavy metal, spectacular stage performances, and just plain craziness to London last night.

A sold out O2 was on its feet from the moment the band entered via a side entrance and made their way to the stage along an overhead gantry, directly above the fans in the middle of the arena.

Rammstein are on their Made in Germany tour, showcasing their greatest hits from over 15 years in the business, and they all made spectacular appearances here.

Opening with Sonne, with Till Lindeman’s powerful vocals on top form from the start, the band worked through the album with Keine Lust, Ich Will, Mein Herz Brennt, Mutter, Du Riechts So Gut and Links 2 3 4 getting a flame-and firework-filled airing.

Amongst it all, keyboardist Christian Lorenz rode an inflatable dingy around the venue  propelled by the hands of the fans underneath, guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers strummed away with fireworks exploding from their microphone stands, and drummer Christoph Schneider lead the rest of the band on chains to the smaller stage in the middle of the arena - where they gave us a fantastic rendition of Ohne Dich, before closing with Amerika and Pussy. 

A Rammstein concert is more than a simple music gig, it’s almost performance art - and with a few tickets still available for the rest of their UK tour, it’s a performance you'd be crazy to miss