Tonight is a rather odd mix of fan bases. It is obvious from the off that a large proportion of the audience have come to see German’s Annisokay on the back of their impressive stint supporting Electric Callboy last year. However, there is also an almost equal proportion who are here for reformed metal core also-rans Shields, who have decided to put aside their differences and make another attempt at trying to make it. All this means that the only unknown element here this evening are Norwegian openers Fixation.

They have a very accessible metalcore sound to them, which they top off with a highly enigmatic frontman. It's like watching "That's the Spirit" era Bring Me the Horizon but fronted by Jared Leto. Jonas Wesetrud Hansen’s live vocals are simply stunning and they come across brilliantly. The growing crowd put aside their partisan differences and really take to them. Pits spark up and Jonas takes the opportunity to join in, leading to a flurry of fist bumps and selfies.  

He mentions that this second time playing in our beautiful city, as they supported Devin Townsend earlier in the year. He also plays on the obvious ear of anticipation within the room and when he mentions Shields, the enclave of fan boys and girls camped out at the front almost lose their collective shit. They may well have been playing to a rapidly filling room of people there to see other bands, but they make an incredibly good feast of the whole thing. When (and if) they come back around on a headlining shift, they surely will get a large number of punters purely on the strength of tonight.

Shields are the plucky young British mob that almost made it but ground at a halt in 2018 when life got in the way. However, buoyed on by unfinished business they reformed earlier this year and this is their first full tour back as a band. Two things are immediately obvious, firstly they have been missed as there is a massive emotional outpouring as they take to the stage. Secondly, they are definitely a band who lie on the heavier end of the metalcore spectrum and there are almost constant mosh pits throughout the set.

They pretty early on proclaim that this is their first tour since reforming and that they’ve not played Manchester for 5 years. The response is deafening and whilst they are in no way household (or even back garden) names, there are members of the audience obviously having the night of their lives. There are selfies a-plenty with the crowd and during the breakdown of the final number vocalist Joe Edwards ups sticks and moves into the crowd, mobbed by their small but passionate following as he does so. In a short 40-minute burst of energy, they illustrate that unassailable link between band and crowd. Your Gran will never know them but the glee on the faces of the front row as they realise that their favourite band is back put a spring in my step that is yet to fade.

It's clear headliner Annisokay have grossly overestimated the size of Rebellion. The 2 separate video walls on either side of the drum kit just about squeeze in, but there are numerous strobes strewn across the floor because they won’t go anywhere else and there is a backdrop that simply doesn’t fit on the stage. However, they seem to think “screw the aesthetics” and they scream onto the stage with both vim and vigour. They introduce themselves after 3 songs and state that this is called the Abyss tour to support the recently released EP of the same name. They then throw out ‘Ultraviolet’ from the record and the pits greet it like a returning compatriot.

They have a brilliant contrast of vocals, with Rudi Schwarzer providing harsh baritone wails and guitarist Christoph Wieczorek bringing on the clean soaring refrains. The way the two manifest together is almost magical. It is a fabulous juxtaposition and provides formidable depth to their sound. The downstairs portion of Rebellion is full and bouncing along with utter abandon,  joining in with all requisite sing-along sections.

They seem genuinely chuffed to be here and rather taken aback by the strength of the reception. They state that Manchester is the furthest place out of their hometown of Halle that they have ever played. Building on the immense good will they throw in a cover of ‘One Step Closer’ by Linkin Park that almost blows the roof off the place. ‘Face the Facts’ from “Aurora” follows and they ask the assembled throng to light up their phones or a lighter to make the crowd area look like an Aurora to match the album. It looks awesome and it is clear that those who wandered along because they quite liked them in last year's support roles are now falling in love.

They thank the crowd for coming down and supporting live music and then out themselves as Shields devotees themselves, saying that supporting them 10 years ago was a pivotal moment in their development as a band. With the amount of love now built in the room, we were always going to get one more song and ‘STFU’ is a stomping mammoth of a number that takes the pulsating crowd to new heights. We are all done and dusted by 9.30pm, but the audience has expended so much energy and emotion that you can tell that they are quite happy to get themselves off home and release the babysitter. A barnstormer of an evening that proves that the greatest live shows are the ones where the audience and band merge and become one.