Source: Promo Image
While She Sleeps have had a long career behind them but it seems the release of their third album You Are We may be their most rewarding yet. With help from fans they’ve managed to self-release this latest record, which just might be the album that helps them get the credit they are due in the metalcore scene. Currently out on tour to support You Are We, the band’s tour poster sports a dozen well-deserved red “sold-out” stickers, as we were lucky enough to catch them on the first night of their double whammy at London’s The Dome.
First band of the night is Leeds’ Fizzy Blood, whose unique sound meshes the aspects of heavy rock with more fuzzy, subdued tones. Vocalist Benji Inkley‘s vocals sound like the perfect asset for an indie band, contrasting their riffs that are blaring across the room. Though their time on stage was limited, the band’s undeniable charisma and amplified energy warmed up the crowd for what was going to be a long, sweaty night ahead.
In Hearts Wake hail all the way from Australia but have clearly already made quite a name for themselves on this side of the pond. Playing a number of tracks, the band brought out their best – all jam-packed with a plethora of breakdowns and catchy, soaring choruses to boot. The band didn’t try to hide their determination to get the crowd moving and hyped up, and it’s a goal they easily accomplished.
By this point, the crowd were getting restless because somehow the short setup time between sets seemed to drag on forever. Finally as the lights dimmed, and lanterns hanging from the stage ceiling flickered against the giant You Are We backdrop, the room roared as the Sheffield five-piece walked out on stage. Within minutes, the pit had opened up and eager stage divers were already scrambling their way to get on stage, a ritual the band happily invited.
Though the new record had only been out in the world for a mere 24 hours, dedicated fans were already singing along with great conviction. Full of a sense of urgency, the title track kicks off and vocalist Loz Taylor snarls “We’ve got nothing to lose,” a perfect sentiment of the way While She Sleeps are so unapologetically themselves. A few other new tracks are given the chance to shine, like the bone-rattling ‘Feel’ or the song that put any past Sleeps/ Bring Me The Horizon disagreements to rest ‘Silence Speaks’. Though Oli Sykes wasn’t there to fulfill his role, the crowd were more than happy to cover his vocal duties.
There was no way evident fan favourite ‘Seven Hills’ would not make its due appearance, yet when that introductory guitar kicked in it is met with an unrivaled roar of excitement. The hard-hitting ‘This Is The Six’ is welcomed with a similar reaction, with the restless crowd taking the already intense pit to the next level all the while stage divers invaded the stage throughout the track.
There are but a few bands who are able to bring such a ferocious live performance on one occasion, yet have a special acoustic performance at St Pancras Old Church scheduled a mere few days later. The Sheffield outfit are a band whose full glory you can only truly appreciate at a gig that leaves you sweaty and breathless. While She Sleeps are a powerful live band, who are even heavier that you thought they could be, amplifying what was already a seemingly brutal discography.
