A View From The Back Of The Room: Sleep Theory (Alex Tobias)

Sleep Theory & The Pretty Wild, O2 Academy, Bristol 06.02.26

A wet and windy Friday night in Bristol brings the start of a UK tour from two bands that will play there first ever gigs in the UK, those bands being The Pretty Wild and Sleep Theory, lets get to it shall we....

First up we have The Pretty Wild (7), coming all the way from the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. Sisters Jyl and Jules Wylde struck the big time with breakout single Sleepwalker in 2024 having previously started on a more country music path have slowly evolved into a strong melodic metalcore band that keeps the roots of the country style but also sprinkles a bit of rap and heavy screams into the mix along with bouncing modern metal beats and rhythms galore. 

The band walk to the stage for the first time in the UK to a great reception from this sold out 02 Academy in Bristol, as we kick straight into the first song, Paradox, the first song from the bands debut album release, last years Zero.Point.Genesis, a good opening song that's full of everything I described about them and more, a chunky half time bouncy metal beast of a song with a dreamy chorus and really good screams and rap parts that complement the latter well. 

For a band that only played there first gig as a band less than two years ago from what comes from the rest of the set if not told or known you would think they have been doing this for a lot longer. With no live bass player the band does rely on a lot of samples and backing tracks but it most definitely does not take anything away from the performance or the sound at all. The chemistry from the sisters and drummer and guitarist is flowing throughout the set from all on stage. 

Jules takes time between songs to thank the crowed and show the bands humbleness and appreciation to be in front of a UK crowed for the first time and are so happy at the reaction they have got. The sound is on point tonight at the 02 with a nice blend of electronic sounds and that bouncing metal sound that the crowed is loving right from the start to the finish of the bands set, which ends with the bands big hit to date, Sleepwalker which brings out the first pits of the night. 

Not my usual cup of tea if I am honest but that makes no difference to how impressed I am with the experience I just had the pleasure of watching, a very good performance from a band that are new to the circuit but will only grow and I am sure to be around for a long time I am positive.

We get a nice short break for a change of only half an hour before the headliners, Sleep Theory (8), hailing from Memphis, Tennessee. I will say now this band has past me by since its creation as a solo project back in 2019 from vocalist Cullen Moore that has grown into a full band since, as I am sure a lot of bands have, but that's the fun of the musical discovery we all go through when you find new bands. Walking onto stage after a funny intro involving clips on the two big screens from Steven A Smith and Shaq from Basketball fame, the band get huge applause and roars from the crowd and we get stuck in with first song Fallout, from the bands first full album 2025s Afterglow. 

Straight away you get Linkin Park vibes with DJ scratches and that unmistakable Bouncing subdued muted riff that breaks into a full on moshing anthem. Now don't get me mistaken with the Linkin Park reference this is not just a cheap knock off this is a band that once again is not really one I would of found without doing this but wow am I blown away from song 1 all the way to the end. This band is very very good and I was really blown away by how tight and good the sound is coming from the stage. 

Now like The Pretty Wild there are plenty of samples used and everything is perfectly on schedule for each song but once again this is still a band that is so talented that take all that away and they would still knock your socks off with how dam catchy they are. Bass player Paolo Vergara and vocalist Cullen Moore stop midway to thank everyone for "showing us we are welcome and wanted over here" which shows in the fact that this first gig in the UK is completely sold out. We get more songs from Afterglow like, Hourglass and Parasite until we get to a superb cover of NSYNCs Bye Bye Bye which goes down a storm with everyone in the building singing along with the bands metal infused cover which is sang amazingly by Cullen, like every song tonight played by the band, what a voice this man has. 

We get to the song that made people wake up to this band, Another Way which blew up on TikTok in 2023 and put the bands music out there to the masses which gets every single person in the building singing along with full voices. A song called Stuck In My Head, a stand out for me, as of writing this is no pun intended stuck in my head still, its a song that just screams anthem to me, it seems to be the type of song that the younger generation will look back on as exactly that, an anthem. 

The band finish up the set with the first track from the bands debut album, Static which just keeps everyone pumping with pits and moshing from front to top in the 02s case, a great way to end the set from the bands first ever gig on in the UK. I can explain anymore how much I enjoyed Sleep Theory, a very fun band to watch live, a awesome sound and the talent just oozes from all members and its very clear to see why they have had to upgrade every venue and add a extra date here in the UK due to demand of people wanting to see them. 

I highly recommend catching this tour before it ends here but keep a very keen eye out for this band in your country for any future tours they do.