Bands: Parkway Drive, with support, The Ghost Inside, Miss May I, Confession
Venue: Manchester Academy, Manchester
Date: 10/04/12
Parkway Drive are now on their 3rd studio album, ‘Deep Blue’, and the boys from Byron Bay, Australia have just exploded into the public eye in recent years, creating a devout following and are now renowned for their impressive and explosive performances in each and every show.
Confession were a good starter, if not with a very small set-list, it was something to wet the appetite for with the following bands, including a cover of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’. It wasn’t an amazing set, but the band are talented enough, and let’s be honest, when you have bands like Parkway Drive and The Ghost Inside about to come on, you don’t want to wear yourself too quickly.
Miss May I, on the other hand, were a band that people need to start looking out for, with an electric performance, and their ability to open up a pit even at this early point of the night. Opening with ‘Relentless Chaos’ they managed to get the room moving, with a small number of fans obviously there to see the band, they got the respect that they deserved from a very impressive set. Up until their last song ‘Masses of a Dying Breed’, they were composed and unrelenting, obviously enjoying the set that they had put together.
The Ghost Inside were at the next level for the night, each band building on what the last one had brought to the table. Their 11 song setlist spanned what they could do, starting from the powerful ‘Greater Distance’ and finishing on the equally as impressive ‘Unspoken’ The amount of reaction they managed to receive from the crowd was worthy of a headline slot in themselves. The place was packed to see the metalcore band from California do their stuff, and they did not disappoint. Both powerful and technical, they put on a show to remember and won a few new fans in the process.
Now, the crowd were pumped, they had warmed up, and they were ready for what was to come. By now you sort of expect what you’re going to get from a Parkway Drive show, and they never disappoint. The look of pure euphoria on the faces of the band members is enough to show you how much they enjoy playing their music and seeing the energy that spills out onto the floor. ‘Unrest’ started off what would be an unforgettable night, and from the first note, first beat, and first vocal, pits opened up all over the academy, proving that they had the ability to make even the casual viewer headbang and got completely nuts over. There was an impressive mix in their setlist from the old to the new, and arguably more popular material. There were a number of surprises added into the mix, including a brand new song which the band are preparing to put on their new album, coming out later this year.
The inclusion of certain songs such as ‘Boneyard’ and ‘Carrion’ were obvious, but no less impressive. It was the inclusion of the song ‘Romance is Dead’ which got the crowd really worked up, obviously being a fan favourite by all those watching, it was their last song pre-encore, but it was the one that got the crowd moving most of all. The Australian metalcore monsters have grown so much in the last 3 years, and this is their time to shine amongst other bands. They clearly enjoy what they’re doing and hope that enjoyment carries on for a number of years to come, because this band can only start getting bigger.
Reviewer: Callum Thomson
