The Amity Affliction
at O2 Ritz in Manchester, UK
words by Daniel Tsourekas, photos by Dylan Maggs

It’s a cold Monday night in Manchester. The queue outside the O2 Ritz, to no surprise, reaches the Sainsbury’s located close to the venue and extends further down Oxford Road. The audience have been waiting for this concert for quite a long time, so subsequently an energetic atmosphere is quite apparent throughout the waiting process, leading up to the venue's entry. The Amity Affliction’s last headline visit to the UK was five years ago, so it is quite safe to assume that they have an interesting show to put on for their fans.

Despite the excitement for the headline band, the most interesting feature of this tour comes in the form of their support acts. With seeyouspacecowboy, Gideon, and Fit for A King, the emphasis on post-hardcore and hardcore bands opening for the old-school metalcore bands is becoming more apparent within the industry. With the subgenres quite drastic increase in popularity these past years, the sound is being pushed to new audiences with some fascinating support slots.

As soon as the audience enters the venue at seven o’ clock, the first act of the night takes to the stage in a very intriguing fashion. Entering with The Ink Spots’ ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’, they quickly drop the audience into a world of deranged vocals, insane riffs, and amusing breakdowns. One could assume hectic mosh-pits and crowd-surfers to be apparent, but unfortunately that is not the case. The contrast between the audience’s energy and the band’s performance is quite upsetting, as SYSC put on a fantastic performance at the O2 Ritz, but the crowd simply fail to respond to that energy.

This lack of energy changes as Gideon walk on stage and practically demand their audience start moshing. Considering the nature and culture of hardcore music, crowd interaction is of utmost importance, so it’s refreshing to see it finally start happening with Gideon’s explosive set. Whether it be through the large circle pit, the brutal wall of death, or simply the menacing performance, the Alabama based four piece take the overall atmosphere from 0-100 in a matter of minutes, even though it was supposed to be like that from the beginning of the show.

With the mood set, Fit for a King elevate the crowd interaction to new heights, encouraging crowd-surfers to appear, despite the quite ironic sign next to the stage which notes that such a thing is not allowed within the venue. What follows is fifty minutes of carnage, with the band displaying an incredible physical performance. In particular, the bassist Ryan O’Leary is the highlight of the set, as his playing techniques alongside the highly entertaining method he uses to spin the bass around him makes Fit for a King’s support show a memorable one to say the least.

Finally, the moment the audience has been waiting for arrives on stage to an abundance of applauding and cheering. With a light show that is reminiscent of a festival headliner performance, The Amity Affliction start their performance with ‘Pittsburgh’, a song that sends the crowd feral straight off the bat. The connection the band members have between them allow the songs to flow effortlessly. Whether it be Joel’s gritty vocals, Ahren’s fascinating talent in not only providing chunky basslines, but also being able to pull off some impressive gutturals and high-pitched screams, and Dan and Joe’s constant bursts of energy, there’s never a dull moment throughout the setlist, as the crowd witnesses a band that truly wear their hearts on their sleeves, and responds perfectly through constant movement, moshes and lyric chants. The setlist itself was an amalgamation of their greatest hits and fan favorites, such as ‘All My Friends Are Dead’, ‘Ivy (Doomsday)’, ‘Death’s Hand’, ‘Show Me Your God’ and many more.

In conclusion, The Amity Affliction returns to the UK with a large arsenal of fan favorite tracks, incredible energy and a stacked lineup of supports. While the crowd could have been better in the first couple of hours, they eventually let loose to create a brilliant atmosphere, and most importantly a memorable gig.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION: MANCHESTER UK

SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY

GIDEON

FIT FOR A KING

THE AMITY AFFLICTION