Live Review: Spiritbox - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester 06/07/2023
Following on the release of their standout debut record Eternal Blue, Canadian metal outfit Spiritbox are embarking on their massively anticipated UK tour. The tour saw them performing night after night, gig after sold-out gig; and their night in the northwest territory holds the record as their largest capacity gig to date. Upgraded after the original run of tickets sold as fast as lightning, there is no doubt that one album in and this is where they deserve to be. A visually fascinating and audibly stimulating night at O2 Victoria Warehouse, with thanks to this free-living foursome.
Opening the night was fellow hard-rocking Canadian group Brand of Sacrifice, who were welcomed onstage with the forever iconic theme song from the Pokemon anime. There is rarely a better way to bring the energy to an alternative crowd than with the original Pokemon theme - especially with a band who owe the origin of their name to the hit anime Berserk - and the hype was turned all the way up for when the band started playing. Playing before a screen of bright and flashing branding symbols, the room was shaking and the crowd was moving. To command a mosh-pit as the first act of three in a night is impressive; the way everyone was running and jumping and crashing and flying was nothing short of a masterpiece. With more notable tracks such as ‘Demon King’ and ‘Exodus’, and ending on a track such as ‘Eclipse’, once the lights went up and the guitars were put down, the crowds were rushing to the merchandise stall.
When the rest of the night has an audience full of people wearing the opening band’s merchandise, there is no arguing that some dark magic was pulled.
Next to bring the noise is the UK’s own rising stars in metal Loathe. Hailing from Liverpool, the band praises their opportunity to play in their “second home” of Manchester as they pull out all the hits to warm everyone up for the main event. This includes one of their latest singles, ‘Is This Really You?’; a track they had released alongside the talents of Sleep Token and Teenage Wrist to a highly positive reception. With everyone getting up and in cases of the pit falling down, there wasn’t a dry body in the venue. The energy was brought, in a unique concoction of joy and gratitude with angst and disturbance within oneself and out. There was something for everyone with Loathe, and that is the balance that keeps the metal universe going.
After two exciting and exhilarating sets, it was finally time to welcome the deep-blue event to the hundreds before them. Spiritbox stormed the stage opening with 2019 hit ‘Rule of Nines’ and there was no easing in. Pushing the body into the deep end, drowning in the hardcore elements such as guitarist Mike Stringer’s gritty riffs filling the room and frontwoman Courtney LaPlante’s fluttering fluctuation between her soulful clean vocals and her emotional unclean vocals. For many in the crowd, this was their very first taste of the Spiritbox elixir - and it will not be their last.
With a mix of EP-exclusive tracks such as ‘Hysteria’ and the more recent ‘Rotoscope’, the four-piece were promoting their debut full-length and by breathing and strumming life into these tracks, it was akin to watching the album physically coming to life. Accompanied by flashes of bold colours, playthroughs of 3D computer-generated patterns, and images of shapes and objects differing from track to track, the concert was playing out more as a visual storybook. Every song a new chapter, every image displayed a new illustration to help follow along, and the book was the very performance before one’s own eyes. A progressive novel for the outcast and daydreaming, and this show is the moment that these people will never hear Eternal Blue the same way ever again.
Highlight cuts from the record include fan-favourite hit ‘Circle With Me’ and probably one of their biggest songs to date, ‘Holy Roller’. However, the winning performance was the show’s final number. Title track ‘Eternal Blue’ was the best and most beautiful way to see the adoring fans off, as despite not being released as a single, it extracted a loud and electric response from the fans. After over an hour of hitting them out of the park, killing every track in a graceful murder, this was how to say “goodbye, see you soon”. The track that gave the title to the album that has made everything they’re doing possible. The touring, the new music, the visuals they’ve pulled together to give the music a background to work alongside; all because of the success this 2021 record gave and the miraculous payoff that the band has been able to bathe in throughout this time.
Being blue is not as eternal as LaPlante says, when one is within the presence of Spiritbox in all their heavy metal brilliance. This band is red hot and burning, and there is only more fuel to add to this fire.
Photography by Maryleen Guevara
Words by Jo Cosgrove
