[LIVE REVIEW] Chelsea Grin, Signs of the Swarm, Mugshot and Crown Magnetar - New Century Hall, Manchester.

Starting the evening strong, Crown Magnetar. I’ll be honest when I say I hadn’t really heard of these guys before the evening. As usual with my shows, If I’m never not sure of a band on a line up, I like to take the opportunity to go in blind. Crown Magnetar absolutely blew it out of the water for a supporting act my lord, why haven’t I heard of these any sooner. With blast beats that physically rattled the floor, Crown Magnetar delivered a solid and polished performance. What makes them so compelling isn’t just the technicality involved in their performance, but the sheer dominance of their stage presence. 

During the set the pits were just getting started and the pits did have their usual comical moments: a guy pulled off one crowd kill and then disappeared into thin air. Picture it: one guy in the pit suddenly decides he’s auditioning for Mortal Kombat, lands one feeble "kill" and is never seen again. Wonder if he ever did get that role as Baraka? I'll never understand the thought process behind "crowd killing", It's just something that leaves a negative presence within the audience. Anyway... I digress... 

Crown Magnetar set the bar high for the rest of the bands to follow for the evening and it wasn't just a small one. It was huge! 

Next up, Mugshot. Before they took to the stage the crowd was already cheering and chanting. Now I’m not sure exactly what happened at the start but the first song required a retake with there being some seemingly technical issues. After this it did feel a little bit of a weird vibe - a feeling that left me personally caught between anticipation and discomfort. I felt really bad for them however as their performance progressed you could physically see the confidence coming back rapidly. As the confidence grew the music progressively got more precise and by the end of it it was a shame that the start had not been a reflection of what this band are clearly capable of. When things were back in full swing this was a beautiful showcase of their sound and proved why they are thriving in the music scene. 

I want to give a major credit to frontman Ringo Waterman, it's been a while since I've seen someone invest so much energy into their performance - It left me knackered just watching the guy. 

Circling back to the more ‘deathcore’ alignment, Signs of The Swarm made their entrance. This is the third time I’ve had the honor of witnessing Signs of The Swarm and one thing I love about this band is the fact I’ve never attended a show of theirs and felt the room was lacking energy or that the crowd seemed to not be having a good time and tonight was no exception. Now one thing that I always say in comical jist towards any gig I've attended with Signs of The Swarm playing is that sometime during the performance there always seems to be paramedics running around and tonight proved this thesis right again... I'm not quiet sure what it is with this band and the fact someone seems to always get injured but the ironic part is anyone who I've seen that's been injured has just still been living their best life. This should indicate of how brutal a Signs of The Swarm gig is an absolute solid reflection of how their music hits. It's fucking brutal. Signs of The Swarm are a band who are ever showing they know how to evolve both musically and in their performances. Forever, a pleasure witnessing these guys set the stage alight. 

Signs of the Swarm are a band that play with the crowd at the heart of their set, channeling every ounce of brutality into a shared experience that felt as much about the people as the music itself and the crowd mirrored that energy throughout the set. Every guttural vocal and breakdown was met with equal ferocity and reciprocation. It was a highlight of their set seeing a vast inclusion of their discography performed throughout from some old classics and well recognizable tracks to some newer and unfamiliar material.  

This is a band you owe it to yourself to see — add them to your must‑see list.

Finally closing the evening and ending the night on an absolute high, Chelsea Grin. Their set was a journey through their discography and felt like an adrenaline fueled trip through the good, the bad and the ugly (with no bad really, guess this saying doesn't really apply but felt applicable at the time of writing this). I've seen Chelsea Grin a couple of times before and will never get over the fact that Tom Barbers performances showcase vocals that look remarkably effortless for the caliber delivered. 

From the moment they stepped on stage to the end of their set there was not one point where it felt energy dropped from both the guys and the audience. You could feel the floor physically shaking throughout, leaving me questioning "is this venue safe for these sort of gigs?" it was scary but thrilling nevertheless. 

Their performance made it clear and highlighted why Chelsea Grin have become the titans in deathcore they are, with the band excelling in their sound since 2007 shows like tonight show just exactly why they are still going 18 years later (almost two decades since their formation). This time has been a long stretch that’s seen them evolve through lineup changes, stylistic shifts, and multiple album cycles but never faulter to what they have to bring to their dedicated fans. 

I would like to mention that although the sound tonight in New Century Hall was almost flawless and it’s a venue where the sound has always been on point at every show I’ve attended, however tonight the lighting throughout the evening seemed a bit overbearing and took a lot of focus away from the actual performances. All of the bands on tonight's line up showed great energy and powerful stage presences and it would have been nice to have been able to witness that a bit more rather than a lot of attention being lost to overpowering strobe lighting and washed-out lighting effects. I did feel this spoiled the overall experience.

This evenings show delivered an unforgettable experience from start to finish. What made the night so special wasn’t just the heaviness of the music, but the way the bands and crowd fed off each other. That back‑and‑forth energy is what makes live music what it is. It makes it an absolutely mind blowing experience and something that leaves you feeling a venue with a "two-step" in your step. Bad pun, I know... not funny.