Live Review : Parkway Drive + While She Sleeps + Lorna Shore @ AO Arena, Manchester on October 1st 2022

Tonight’s gig is not only a masterclass in charismatic vocalists and virtuoso lead guitarists, but also in how to be an arena band, with all three bands nailing each of those elements perfectly. Grabbing my ticket and taking up my seat stage-side with the arena still filling up, we see openers Lorna Shore take to the stage. Hitting us straight off with their deliciously brutal onslaught, many of the crowd around me and even in the standing sections up close to the stage, seem taken aback by quite how extreme and heavy the New Jersey deathcore crew are.

Live Review : While She Sleeps + Led By Lanterns + Coping @ Rebellion, Manchester on March 25th 2022

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.

Live Review : Download Pilot @ Donington Park on June 18-20th 2021

Ok lets cut to the chase, last weekend’s Download Pilot (or Diddy Download as every bugger and their aunt are calling it) was probably the most pleasant experience I have had in the eighteen years I have been making an annual pilgrimage to Donington Park. Let’s put all the emotion aside of this being the first one back and concentrate on what worked, which frankly was its size.