During the pandemic While She Sleeps launched a members subscription service called Sleeps Society via the Patreon platform. The intention was to further the band’s intention to take back the music industry for the bands and fans, and as such the service affords the bands the ability to connect directly with their fans and in turn the fans can contribute, have access to exclusive content, merchandise and in this case the first ever members only gig. Later in the night While She Sleeps frontman Lawrence ‘Loz’ Taylor will proclaim the importance of being part of a metal and punk community, and that WSS was always meant to represent more than a band, it was meant to be a community, and tonight it feels like the culmination of those intentions.

Coping open the gig as the queue to the venue still bends round the corner outside. The crowd who have made it inside aren’t so sure about this young band from Leeds, but I think they have something about them. They are taking a lead from post-hardcore bands like Touche Amore and adding that British element to the sound. They retain that imploring naked force in the vocals but add in melodic hooks in the instrumentals we might see in a more mainstream UK rock band. I think early Lower Than Atlantis comes to mind, and I hope this band get further opportunities in future.

Led By Lanterns are a polished self-proclaimed fusion of heavy riffs with catchy boyband inspired vocal hooks from the Birmingham. However, they are much more than that and whilst that description is arguably correct, I think that classic British trait of self-deprecation is selling them short. They are definitely a mix of upbeat metal instrumentals, electro backing tracks and poppy clean singing…but they deliver that combination in a vibrant and powerful rock package that is professional and pure enjoyment. Influences are clearly taken from Normandie and Siamese, with elements of Mallory Knox and YouMeAtSix, and it’s no surprise support slots have been snaffled with most of these. All four members of the band have character and stage presence, and their live performance is spot on to the recorded versions too. The crowd react really well considering this is obviously a very partisan crowd, and the band grow in their confidence as the set unfolds. I often review very complex bands with intricate musicianship but the joy on display with Led By Lanterns is that they are more than the sum of their parts. They achieve the most difficult element of music – writing cohesive songs that have memorable choruses and incite enjoyment with a big grin. It’s worth noting that Led By Lanterns have also taken the lead set by WSS and started their Sleeps Society equivalent called the Lanterns Alliance. These guys are going to be very successful if they keep on getting the right exposure they’ve already found, get on the front foot with their alliance and write even more catchy metal tunes.

While She Sleeps take to the stage to their extended ‘Enlightenment’ intro and the crowd serve a massive pop before the band members have even got to their positions. The sound mix is off to start with the vocals way too loud and guitars mushy, almost like it’s setup for an arena venue, and it serves to remind us how lucky we are to see what is a massive band now play in an intimate venue like this. The balance is soon found of course and the whole crowd can be seen bouncing in time with the band to ‘Fakers Plague ‘and ‘Guilty Party’. Drummer Adam Savage has bust a rib but is ably deputised for by the ubiquitous Cam. No rest for the wicked though and Sav is put to use working the stage lights tonight, of which he does a great job despite some software issues. The band smash through hit after hit, each demonstrating their fantastic ability to blend raw vocal shredding, intricate technical guitar melodies and crunching core metal riffs and rhythm. I don’t think I’ve seen so many stage divers, and even heartfelt ‘Nervous’ has a plethora of eager co-singers and grinning fans leap back into the crowd. ‘Silence Speaks’ sees the crowd erupt and the stage takeover reach a new level and, whilst Loz did say tonight it was our stage, I’m not sure whether he meant it quite this literally! ‘Systematic’ is a blisteringly triumphant closer and by the end of the breakdown virtually everyone from the crowd is seemingly on the stage. I’ve never seen anything quite like it at Rebellion, and we’ve never seen a band quite like While She Sleeps both on and off the stage, and thank goodness we have them.