Children of Bodom vocalist Alexi Laiho and guitarist Daniel Freyberg’s new band Bodom After Midnight made their debut live performance on October 23 at the Rytmikorjaamo, in Seinäjoki, Finland. They followed up with a second show the next day at the Tavastia, in Helsinki.

After Children of Bodom’s drummer, keyboardist and bassist left the band in 2019, Laiho wasn’t legally allowed to keep the name Children of Bodom. He and Freyberg, who had joined in 2016, decided to form a new band with Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, Santa Cruz bassist Mitja Toivonen and keyboardist Lauri Salomaa. They named it Bodom After Midnight after a track on Children of Bodom’s 2000 album Follow the Reaper. 

All of the songs they played during the shows were Children of Bodom songs, which the band started rehearsing back in March before they knew COVID-19 would prevent them from playing Tuska Festival in June. The songs come from releases throughout Children of Bodom’s discography, from 1997’s “Deadnight Warrior” to “Platitudes And Barren Words” off of their last album Hexed, from 2019.

Below is a clip of Bodom After Midnight opening their first set with “Needled 24/7” at the Rytmikorjaamo show, as well as videos of their performances of “Warheart” and “In Your Face.” More songs were uploaded to YouTube from the Tavastia show, including “Sixpounder,” “Knuckleduster,” “Hatebreeder” and “Downfall.”

Setlist:
1. Needled 24/7
2. Silent Night, Bodom Night
3. Bodom After Midnight
4. Sixpounder
5. Platitudes And Barren Words
6. Living Dead Beat
7. Knuckleduster
8. Angels Don’t Kill
9. Hate Me!
10. Deadnight Warrior
11. Hatebreeder
12. Everytime I Die
13. Warheart
14. Downfall
15. Hate Crew Deathroll
16. Are You Dead Yet?
17. In Your Face

Photo credit: Raymond Flotat