Live Review: Sleeping With Sirens - O2 Ritz, Manchester 19/03/2023

With an air of inevitability Sleeping With Sirens’ sold out Manchester show proved itself to be one for the books, and emphasised how effortlessly the band writes incredible songs that translate beautifully in a live environment. 

March 19th saw Sleeping With Sirens playing a sold out show at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. The O2 Ritz always promises to have on offer some of the most energetic and unforgettable gigs, and Sleeping With Siren’s concert was not an exception to this rule. 

The band opened their set with ‘Break Me Down’ and kicked the night off full swing, and in front of them was a crowd that was all too happy to try make this the best night of tour so far (potentially even the best night of the entire tour all together). 

The set list featured some tracks from their latest release ‘Complete Collapse’ including;   ‘Crosses’, ‘Bloody Knuckles’ and ‘Ctrl + Alt + Del’ which all seem to be received eagerly by their crowd. ‘Bloody Knuckles’ feels as though it is very quickly going to become a fan favourite to be played live, which may see it becoming a set list staple in its future. 

Taking us all the way back to 2015 with the song ‘Better Off Dead’, it almost feels like a love letter for those in the crowd who can relate to the way the girl depicted in the lyrics feels.  

Much to the crowd’s delight, the band continued with an acoustic performance of ‘Scene Two: Roger Rabbit.’ The band swapped their cover of ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls for this track, a substitute that the crowd did not seem to mind if their excitement was anything to go by. 

They closed their set with ‘If You Can’t Hang’ which was always sure to be a crowd favourite. If the energy levels throughout their set had been immense, then this was something else entirely. 

Words by Bethany Ellis
Photography by Jess Robinson

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