Sunday 11 February 2018

Gig Review: WHILE SHE SLEEPS + COUNTERFEIT + BLOOD YOUTH at The O2 Ritz, Manchester (UK) 10/02/2018

While She Sleeps at The Ritz 2018

First up were Blood Youth. I'd checked them out on YouTube before the gig, and they're a pretty decent Hardcore band. To my ears, they sound like a mix of Sick Of It All and Cancer Bats, but with the occassional melodic vocal thrown in. I was pleased to see them in a live setting in front of a decent crowd, as the band was clearly in their element. They put on a great show, which was full of the energy you'd expect from a band like this, and seemed to go down really well with the crowd.

Blood Youth
Blood Youth
Blood Youth
Blood Youth



This was also my first time seeing Counterfeit. After checking out their debut album last year (read my review here), I was happy that I'd finally get to see them live when they were announced as the main support for the show. Singer/guitarist Jamie Campbell Bower and his band were on fire tonight, and rattled through the majority of the songs from their record, with a new level of energy and aggression. Jamie and the lead guitarist even performed a song in the middle of the crowd, which was cool. They proved that they were a great addition to the line-up, and I'm sure they won themelves a number of new fans.

Counterfeit
Counterfeit
Counterfeit
Counterfeit

I've seen While She Sleeps a number of times over the last few years, and they've never failed to impress me. In my opinion, their third and latest album You Are We is their strongest album yet (see my review here), which makes going to see them at this point in time essential. The band are in their prime, and these are the shows that their fans will be talking about in years to come. 

While She Sleeps played a good mix of material from all three of their studio albums, including the hugely popular Seven Hills, which had most of the audience singing, This Is The Six, Brainwashed, and Four Walls. The crowd was loving every second of the gig, with the mosh pits continually churning, and endless crowd surfers keeping the security guards busy.
Most importantly, the last two songs from the night were both from their latest record, the incendiary Silence Speaks and Hurricane. Many bands will end their set on old favourites, but While She Sleeps are in that awesome position of having songs from their latest release being their most popular. This proves that they are still contemporary and utterly essential, and the fans are totally into what they're doing. No-one had bought a ticket for the show having not heard the new record, as is the case with so many older bands, so having a crowd this 'switched on' clearly brought an energy that was reciprocated by the band, creating an incredible atmosphere and a superb performance.
While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps
While She Sleeps



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