SLEEPING WITH SIRENS: MANCHESTER, UK
Sleeping With Sirens with support from Static Dress and Charming Liars
at the O2 Ritz in Manchester, UK
words by Daniel Tsourekas, photos by Nick Stafford
Sleeping with Sirens have been a prominent figure in the scene for a decade. With the release of Complete Collapse last year, which was met with heavy applause by their audience, a tour was well anticipated by everyone, and to no surprise the ‘Ctrl + Alt + Del’ tour was announced with a stacked support line up including Static Dress and Charming Liars.
Fast forward to the 19th of March. The queue outside the O2 Ritz is impressive to say the least, extending all the way down Oxford Road, signalling the fans excitement for the bands first headline in Manchester since 2017.
The atmosphere is welcoming yet intense, with the 1.500 cap venue slowly getting crammed before Charming Liars appear on stage with the energy to match the audiences feelings. While it is a short set, it's an amazing start to a memorable night, as the London based three piece provide an upbeat yet relaxed 7 song set which gets the crowd in the perfect mood for what’s to follow, and as they exit the stage, they are met with a warm applause. Look out for their headliner tour later on this year, it will be well worth attending.
After a 15 minute turnover consisting of an interesting mix including Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris’ ‘One Kiss’ which leaves the audience dancing and laughing to the surreal mix of songs being played, the lights go down as two televisions suddenly turn on, heralding the start of Static Dress’ performance. Having just come back from their European tour supporting the goliaths of metalcore Bring Me The Horizon, it is quite clear that their chaotic energy has transferred over to these string of shows. The following 30-40 minutes consist of meaty riffs, excellent vocals and the usual moshes that one could expect from a band of their calibre. Performing their most known songs, including ‘Push Rope’, ‘Sweet’, ‘Courtney, just relax’ and ‘clean.’, they prove that the energy they had when they started out playing intimate venues still resonates with marginally bigger capacities, it won’t be long until the scene witnesses them in headline arena shows.
With the attendees fully immersed and ready to outburst an exceptional amount of energy, Sleeping with Sirens return with an explosive start to their performance, surprising the crowd with a run of songs from How It Feels To Be Lost, Madness and Let’s Cheers To This. Vocalist Kellin Quinn expresses his own excitement and joy to be back in Manchester for the first time in years, and promises a worthy set for the hundreds of people that are in front of him.
And indeed, following that moment the pace doesn’t seem to let up once throughout the 15 songs played over the course of the night. Tending to each album they’ve released, it’s a revisiting of older and current eras, keeping everyone happy and off their feet for an hour and half. It’s also a reminder that they’re still a staple in the alternative scene, as the crowd to no surprise even overpower the band itself screaming the lyrics of each track, and being part of an unpredictable and wild music video shoot for the lead single from Complete Collapse, ‘Ctrl + Alt + Del’.
A highlight of the set consisted of two brilliant acoustic performances from their 2012 EP If You Were A Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack. The songs came in the form of ‘Scene Five: With Ears to See, And Eyes to Hear’ and ‘Scene Two: Roger Rabbit’. They excellently highlight the pure talent in Kellin’s voice and Nick Martin’s guitar technique. It’s an emotional rollercoaster dedicated to fans that requested the songs, and highlight the diversity that the band is loved for. The final track pre-encore turns back time to 2010 and their debut album With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear, as the whole room is chanting fan favourite track ‘If I’m James Dean, You’re Aubrey Hepburn’. As they come back on stage for the final track of the night, they end with the anthem that perfectly encapsulates their identity. ‘If You Can’t Hang’ serves as a perfect ending to a fantastic night filled with surprises, amazing energy and an all around enjoyable atmosphere.
In conclusion, Sleeping with Sirens provide a triumphant and more than welcome return to the UK with their ‘Ctrl + Alt + Del’ tour, bringing the songs, energy and support acts to back it up.