Summer is finally starting to bloom here in Manchester, which, let me tell you, is not something we get very often. In saying that, it certainly didn’t last very long. Seems like the LANDMVRKS lads brought the rain and thunder along with them on the mighty Creature Tour which has taken Europe by storm (pardon the pun) and it’s now the UK’s turn to finally be treated to a proper French frenzy. Alongside the Marseille bunch, we have Manny’s own hardcore massive, Guilt Trip, American metalcore giants, Like Moths To Flames and finally also hailing from the U.S., Ohio monsters, The Devil Wears Prada. What a treat we’re in for tonight, I can already tell it’s about to be a sweaty one.
First up on the stage are Manchester favourites, Guilt Trip. Now these guys have been making some serious headway in the hardcore scene in their five years of being together. Being signed to the Malevolence record label is not something many bands can say they’ve achieved and you can absolutely see why, Malev only pick the best of the best and Guilt Trip goes above and beyond that.
Kicking it off with "Surrounded By Pain," the already near to busting O2 Ritz went crazy; the floor was shaking, sweat was dripping, limbs were flying… if this is only the first song of the night then bloody hell, it was definitely gonna get full-blown metalhead madness in here tonight.
Frontman, Jacob Valentine, is truly a force on the stage. The spins, the kicks… how this man hasn’t gotten tangled in his own mic wire I will never know. "Sweet Dreams" is up next and I think it’s safe to say this is one of my all-time favourite songs. Everything about it is just constructed perfectly. However, would you believe me if I told you it got even better? I do say being in Manchester is the best place to be, specifically for the reason being we get treats and tonight’s treat is a guest appearance from the legend himself, Florent Salfati of LANDMVRKS. What an absolute banger of a duo and an absolute banger of a song.
GT’s set was indeed short but sweet and certainly left us wanting more. The dudes and dudettes definitely know how to put on a show with non-stop mosh pits and crowd surfers. If you haven’t caught Gilt Trip before, there’s a UK headline show coming up so keep your ears peeled for info because you absolutely will not want to miss out.
Like Moths To Flames are up next and these guys put on an equally powerful show with endless circle pits and pints spilling all over. What more could you ask for from a metal gig? These guys seem to have a much more visceral edge to their instrumental parts with harsh roars and melodic hooks really creating the magic of the set.
"Angels Weep" is first on the list tonight, an absolute tune to be kicking their set off with. LMTF haven’t been in the UK since 2016 to which lead singer, Chris, states “The last time we were here, there was only 6 people in the front row and now look at it” to which the crowd cheered. You can certainly tell they’re making up for lost time, eight years worth might I add, and they certainly put on a proper good performance as Chris prowls the stage, constantly interacting with the crowd and having a chat between songs. I think it’s safe to say, the crowd tonight loved these guys and I reckon they would get a warm welcome back.
The set included more hits such as "Habitual Decline," "The Anatomy of Evil" and "Bury Your Pain" all of which created absolutely chaos in the pit. This was certainly a well-executed performance by some very skilled musicians, would absolutely catch them again.
Finally, our third and main support band for the evening is here, The Devil Wears Prada. Kicking it off with "Watchtower," all hell broke loose. Damn, these guys know how to get a crowd that has already moshed their energy away back up and ready to go wild. Bodies were flying everywhere, even up on the balcony you could see 'em jumping away. Jesus, it was sweaty and I mean extremely sweaty by this point. I’m talking like being trapped in a 50-degree sauna sweaty but I'm not complaining, where there’s sweat there’s most likely some pretty good music and tonight TDWP are on top form.
I don’t know about you but all this heat was certainly making me feel like I needed a drink… oh look, legend singer/guitarist, Jeremy feels the same! So off the stage he goes and heads straight to the bar for a pint. Good lad. As you do. I do love it when band members do crazy stuff like this, shows us that at the end of the day, they’re just as mad as us lot, on and off the stage.
Next up we have classics such as "Salt," "Broken" and "Ritual." If one thing stands out for The Devil Wears Prada gang it’s their ability to keep on top form throughout the whole set. The palpable energy between singers Mike and Jeremy is absolutely insane. Watching them is like watching an explosion of fireworks - they were truly born for the stage. The band as a whole had incredibly tight musicianship with each and every part of the set being executed more perfectly by the second.
Closing the set was "Outnumbered," "Chemical" and "Sacrifice." The crowd tonight was going absolutely wild for these guys to the point where I'm surprised there haven’t been any broken bones. The drums pound and echo around the venue as the harsh vocals contrast perfectly with the cleans, The Devil Wears Prada have this gig stuff locked down to a T. This is an absolute must-see band and hey, if you haven’t already heard, they must’ve loved us as much as we loved them… Soon after the gig, they announced a UK part of their upcoming headline tour so get your tickets, you definitely won’t want to miss out.
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The insanely talented lads hailing from France, LANDMVRKS are here take to the stage by storm. Now I've been a fan of the band for quite a while and they just keep getting better and better.
Tonight they kicked it off with their most recently released single and one of my personal favs, "Creature." Wow. It certainly exceeded my expectations because this song went hard. Circle pits were roaring, heads were banging, lungs were singing… all within the first song. Absolutely beautiful.
Vocalist, Florent Salfati is a true beast on the stage. How someone can be so calm and natural yet full of angst and emotion is truly mesmerizing. The set tonight was certainly a work of art, pieced together to create a beyond-stellar performance; a melodic masterpiece full of raw emotion, passion and aggression. The Marseille lads can mosh it out on stage but still put on an incredibly tight, professional show of flawlessly written songs. Alongside this, the light show we were met with was simply euphoric paired perfectly with a huge album-themed backdrop and a massive illuminating V center stage. It was definitely clear this whole set had been planned out with utter precision.
As the set continued, we were treated to a mix of their discography from the likes of Lost in the Waves (2021), Fantasy (2018) and Hollow (2016). So I think it’s safe to say, that every fan no matter when they joined the club, left satisfied tonight with this awesome setlist. Up next we had "Death," "Blistering," "Say No Word" and "Visage" each being equally as good as the next. It’s certainly hard to pick an ultimate favourite when it comes to LANDMVRKS as each one is a certifiable banger set to make the crowd go nuts. To which they absolutely do. I’ve never seen a bunch of people sweating so profusely yet still have the biggest grins on their faces. Us metal heads are mad; will complain if it’s too hot outside but being in a room full of 1500 people with temperatures like a burning sauna? No problem at all.
One thing that stands out tonight is the connection the band have with the fans, it was truly a euphoric experience. LANDMVRKS don’t tend to get over here very often but mark my words, these fans are dedicated and have been ready to celebrate the lads in their full, well-deserved glory. "Rainfall" was another notable track of the night. I’ve never felt the O2 Ritz floor bounce and shake as much as I have done tonight. To say it wasn’t a sellout, it certainly felt like this room was about to burst or at least for the floor to give way, truly so much energy from every single person in here tonight.
Our encore of the evening is another two of my all-time favourites; "Lost in a Wave" and "Self-Made Black Hole." Wow wow wow. LANDMVRKS have only gone and smashed it out of the park. It felt absolutely surreal to be hearing and seeing this live, I only wish I could bottle it up and take it home with me. The lads are definitely making waves in the metalcore scene and I would say they are certainly underrated and deserve so much more love than they already have because tonight was well and truly, one for the books.
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