Tuesday, 17 December 2024

A View From The Back Of The Room: While She Sleeps (Live Review By Toki Ward)

While She Sleeps, Currents, Thrown & Resolve, O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester, 07.12.2024 

Despite the horrendous weather and early doors at 6:00PM, Resolve (7) played to a very respectable turn out. The French four piece lead the charge with a tight groove and some tight breakdowns. With electronic elements to help lift the band's sound, they’re a good way to start the evening and get us all moving.

Next are Swedish hardcore titans Thrown (8) and they’re in the awkward position of keeping the energy up which they do with ease. And despite a bit of a heavy bass tone the band is balanced extremely nicely. You can really hear the detail in the drums, along with well balanced heavy riffs. Finally, some nicely mixed heavy vocals make for a very tight overall sound. Lastly the band's slightly muted stage outfits work well and don’t distract from an amazing light show.

Last up, before the main event are Currents (7) and they are able to keep a now fairly full Victoria Warehouse going. This band has some great riffs and overall groove to match, building from a nice mid tempo vibe. They even manage to get in some cheeky Gojira like pick scrapes and slides into their riffs, Living In Tragedy being a particular favourite. Finally, they bring things back to the mid tempo groove with anthem Remember Me that lands with the crowd extremely well and Guide Us Home closes out a great main support act.

With the new album Self Hell being a great but different direction of the band, it was interesting to see what While She Sleeps (9) were going to bring to the table tonight, with me being a long term fan of the band since their third EP, 2010's The North Stands for Nothing.

Coming on to Self Hell opener Peace Of Mind that blends seamlessly into Leave Me Alone, it’s when kicking into more well known material such as Anti-Social or the amazing intro’ riff to You Are All You Need that the crowd really gives Sleeps all their energy, and too right! The high energy is kept up with the heavy down beat of The Guilty Party and when going back to new material, Rainbows it sounds like it was always in the band's set as it’s played with such ease.

Lead guitarist Sean Long is now a master of whammy solos and this proves it in spades. Not forgetting rhythm guitarist Mat Welsh and bassist Aaran Mckenzie bringing great riffs under the solos and making the stage space very much their own. Finally drummer Adam Savage is able to keep a solid groove for the whole band to play to. The band look so comfortable on stage together, having the same line up since 2009.

A personal live favorite from the band for me has always been Systematic and thankfully the opening synth line and guitar riff sound absolutely massive. With Malevolence not supporting on this leg of the tour, this means that it’s up to Currents vocalist Brian Wille to do backing vocals for Down, which they do a very respectable job with

Hurricane starts to get us wonderfully on the home stretch and after a fantastic rendition of Enlightenment, crowd favourite Silence Speaks features Resolve vocalist Anthony Diliberto stepping into the shoes of Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes, of which he is more than capable. Speaking of vocals, frontman Loz looks very much in his element throughout the entire set.

Very much looking and sounding like he was always meant to be on stage. Splitting the vocals between himself, Sean and Mat for the most part means that he can really push it when he needs to. To The Flowers sounds so wide and definitely would fit a festival atmosphere. And honestly with the last two albums it feels like the band are aiming for some well deserved bigger crowds.

Finishing with fan anthem Sleeps Society to bring things to an epic close, a very happy and grateful Loz reminds the crowd that While She Sleeps exists because of them. And I think that’s what this band has always been about, community and fan support. Overall, a fantastic set and well worth braving the weather for.

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