Anticipation was high in Swansea as world-renowned wrestler Chris Jericho brought his heavy metal band Fozzy to south-west Wales, nigh on 12 months after the American rockers were forced to cancel their Swansea date. On that occasion, Jericho was taken ill and then hospitalised, with what turned out to be a pulmonary embolism: as serious as this proved, a year down the line he’s been signed off with a clean bill of health.

And he sure proved that in the Patti Pavilion as he made his presence felt this time around. With a change of venue – due either to scheduling or volume of demand, it took place at the iconic Patti instead of Sin City – support slots for the night fell to Scarlet Rebels and Escape The Fate. The latter, especially, pulled a growing crowd into the palm of their hands and went down a storm.

The headliners hit the stage dead on their scheduled 9.30pm to rapturous cheers – and hit the ground running, with Sane, Nowhere To Run and Lights Go Out amongst their opening offering. In their initial inception, Fozzy were primarily a cover band, and they still put their own spin on the odd track in their current setlists. On this tour, it’s Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax, which sounds great given heavy metal treatment.

Firing through Fozzy’s back catalogue of old and new songs, Jericho could do no wrong in the eyes of the raving crowd. I Still Burn, Martyr No More and Purifier are the pick of the bunch, before fan favourite Enemy concludes a power slam of a main set. A well-deserved encore is kicked off by Judas: a song which has taken on cult status and a lease of its own, especially within the wrestling world. Certified gold recently, and popping up throughout mainstream media, Judas is a pure metal anthem and sounds spot on in the flesh.

With just one more from the cover-song locker to finish up, AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap closes a pretty faultless set of trademark heavy metal. Fozzy continue to transcend and break boundaries – and with a frontman like Chris Jericho, anything is possible.

Fozzy, Patti Pavillion, Swansea, Thurs 10 Nov

words OWEN SCOURFIELD