By Dan Tsourekas
It’s difficult to imagine the COVID-19 lockdown years without mentioning Spiritbox’s debut album, ‘Eternal Blue’. It not only took the industry by surprise but was also an important soundtrack for a lot of people unable to leave their homes, stuck in uncertain and demotivating times. In other words, it is quite an engrained project within the metal world of the 2020s. It is also an album that ÜK crowds have never had the opportunity to witness performed live, bar the two O2 Academy Islington dates last summer.
With all this in mind, it wasn’t a surprise to find out that their first ever ÜK tour instantly sold out in minutes. It was practically inevitable. The fascinating announcement following this news however, was the venue upgrade in Manchester. Originally aiming for the 1,500 capacity O2 Ritz, Spiritbox had now added an extraordinary 2,000 extra tickets, jumping up to the O2 Victoria Warehouse, the largest cap venue in Manchester alongside the Apollo, excluding the arenas and Mayfield Depot. With the upgraded space also selling out within a day, alongside the announcement of the fantastic support lineup including Loathe and Brand of Sacrifice, it was quite clear that this, Spiritbox’s biggest headline show to date, would be more than a special day.
Arriving at the venue, it’s a spectacle seeing the massive queues considering the doors aren’t open for at least another hour. The sheer dedication of the audience is admirable to say the least, as fans line up for a night to remember. Heading into the venue, it’s hard to miss the massive screen portraying harrowing visuals, courtesy of the opening band.
Considering Brand of Sacrifice’s more orchestral approach to their studio versions, it will be interesting to see if they incorporate that within their live shows. In a total curveball however, the attendants are greeted with what can only be described as a rave light show, accompanied by Vengaboys and the Pokémon theme tune. Shortly after this five minute party, the Canadian powerhouse take to the stage in style, with impressive gutterals, guitar and drum work. Despite this solid performance however, it was unfortunately lacking on the technical side, with the drums and base significantly overpowering the vocals and guitar, which ultimately limited their performance to a certain degree.
Moving towards the second act of the night, the Liverpudlian legends Loathe confidently dominate the stage and the crowd, with performance that not only signifies their upcoming importance as a staple band within the metal scene, but that could easily serve as a headline act in itself. Opening with ‘Aggressive Evolution’, leading into ‘Dance On My Skin’ and ‘Screaming’, the band are on the top of their form, both sonically and energy-wise, with a plethora of constant mosh pits, crowd surfers and lyric chants throughout their 45-minute long set.
Pacing the balance between their more shoegaze oriented tracks and their hardcore entries, they truly can only be described as a force to be reckoned with. Prime examples of this rising powerhouse came in the form of the sea of flashlights and chants for ‘Is It Really You’, and the humongous wall of death that took place during their closer track Gored.
- Loathe return to the O2 Victoria Warehouse to headline the second stage at the RADAR Festival on Sunday 30 July.
A 30 minute interval isn’t enough to prepare people for what is to follow. They’ve been many speculations over what song Spiritbox will open up with, but ‘Rule of Nines’ was certainly not on the bingo card. It’s an exceptionally bold choice, yet makes perfect sense as they set the energy levels to an all time high early on with no signs of slowing down throughout. This statement is further amplified with the brilliant follow up songs ‘Hurt You’ and ‘Yellowjacket’, which send the audience into a complete frenzy. Alongside this, listening to ‘The Void’ live sheds a new light on the recently released single, making it marginally more favourable than the studio version.
It was surprising to see all the heavyweight hits played so early on, with the bands choices of ‘Circle With Me’ and ‘Rotoscope’ placed midway through the setlist; however there’s a lingering feeling that the audience interaction still hasn’t reached it’s peak, as everyone is patiently waiting for the perfect moment to let loose, and one song in particular grants them this moment.
Courtney LaPlante soothingly faces the audience, letting them know that the song they have been waiting for has arrived, as the opening lyrics of ‘Holy Roller’ lead into a mass eruption of cheers and rowdiness. There wasn’t a chance to even blink before multiple pints and bodies were in the air, swaying to the brutal riffs and extraordinary vocal performance Courtney is providing for the 3,500 people present. If there’s any moment that’s truly memorable tonight, it’s this one, and it’s a reminder that even though Spiritbox found acclaim and rose to success during the lockdown, there isn’t a better time to witness them in all their greatness. The final two songs came with ‘Constance’ and ‘Eternal Blue’, effectively bringing a melodic and atmospheric close to a perfect night.
From a technical standpoint, the headline act was absolutely brilliant. Mike Stringer, Zev Rose and Josh Gilbert proved they are masters of their trade, perfectly timing breakdowns, powerful riffs, backing vocals and drum solos accordingly. The visuals on the screen, as well as the exceptional lighting changed according to the track that was currently playing, the audience were kept enthralled with fantastic graphics and animations. Courtney’s perfect stage presence, aura, vocal performance and humbleness on stage furthermore signify why it’s important to catch this band live as soon as possible, and all of the future tour date attendants can rest assured that they will leave more than satisfied with the powerful lineup and show they have waiting for them.
In conclusion, Spiritbox’s largest headline show in Manchester was one for the ages, and certifies the Canadian four-piece as a must see act.
- The tour concludes with two sold out shows at The Roundhouse in London tonight (Thursday 13 July) and tomorrow (Friday 14 July).
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