Photo Credit: Press

Sheffield metal powerhouses WHILE SHE SLEEPS returned to the UK circuit after over 2 years, with their fifth album ‘Self Hell‘ behind them, this gave the band the chance to unveil new material in to their live performance, as well as showcasing a range of fan favourites from over the last decade.

After three metal bands made their jaunt to the UK for the opening night of the tour, it was time for WHILE SHE SLEEPS to step foot on home soil once again. Drummer Adam Savage quickly made his way to his kit as the room was filled with darkness, a few folk in attendance did spot him so did let out a quick cheer. Sav then kicked off the set as he blasted the drums to the intro of ‘Peace of Mind‘, whilst the remaining members walked on stage. taking their stances. The more subdued opener was the ideal opener as it allowed the remaining songs on the setlist to speak for themselves. ‘Leave Me Alone‘ soon followed, before the much heavier ‘Anti-Social‘ really got the Bristol crowd moving. Frontman Loz’s vocals have become much stronger, from regular singing to the gut wrenching growls that have matched perfectly with older material that gives the live experience a whole new edge.

Bassist Aaron McKenzie’s constant movement on stage does not go unnoticed as he matches the crowds energy, whilst Mat and Sean continue their full attention on unleashing the riffs. The heavier material continued with ‘Rainbows‘ before the meaningful ‘You Are We‘, which has become more relevant each year, a song dedicated to the WSS family. The carnage continued to unfold, from both the stage and around the venue with the intense ‘Systematic‘ delivering a club style experience alongside its electronic breakdown, matched with laser style green lights. A throwback in the form of ‘Four Walls‘ soon followed, and after a decade on, the Sheffield men still clearly enjoy playing this one, as the crowd certainly relished the older anthems too. The fierce ‘DOWN‘ featured Brian from Currents on the night, and the American frontman delivered Alex Taylor’s segment with perfection, as did Anthony Diliberto from Resolve’s involvement during ‘Silence Speaks‘. 

The gut wrenching ‘To the Flowers‘ was met with a huge joint effort from the Bristol crowd as WSS delivered their most sombre song from their catalogue, a clear favourite from their latest album, before concluding with ‘Sleeps Society‘ to bring the night full circle for a song named after their dedicated fanbase and allow everyone to let loose one more time.