As the year comes to an end, there’s one last gig on my 2023 roster and it’s set out to be an absolute belter. While She Sleeps brings chaos to their hometown for a good old Christmas do with a lineup to die for.
We’re talking Mouth Culture, Guilt Trip and Holding Absence. These guys are gonna end this year in style and just you wait, it really is a gig to remember.
Arriving at the Octagon Centre in Sheffield, I had such a weird, “is this real” feeling in my stomach. Being from Sheffield myself, shooting a Sheffield band at Christmas felt almost magical.
I only started my journey in the industry this year so to be here tonight was definitely a special moment for me. And there’s also the fact that Holding Absence was one of the first bands I saw live back at the Heavy Music Awards in 2021, where I stood at the barrier not knowing how to get where I am today.
It truly is unreal. Anyways, diving straight into it we’ve got alternative indie rockers, Mouth Culture. Now if
I’m honest, I wasn’t sure they 100% fitted on this lineup.
They reminded me slightly of bands that would play Tramlines, slightly more indie compared to the other three bands which are definitely more metal. However, with that being said, they were still absolutely
excellent. For first support, they definitely kicked it off with a light vibe, which is a wellneeded start from the chaos that followed.
It’s safe to say these Leicester lads gained a few fans tonight, their musicianship was impeccable. You really could feel the love they had for each other reverberating through the crowd, which of course, the audience loved. There’s nothing better than seeing a group of mates jamming it out on stage, having a good time and the crowd quickly reciprocates.
Mouth Culture showcased the abilities of a band that are gonna excel rapidly with lead singer Jack Voss being an absolute force on the stage, his energy one of its own. A good, solid set from these guys, definitely catch them again.
Up next is a band I just missed out on seeing when they played with Malevolence a few weeks back, so it’s safe to say I was mega-excited to see these guys. The Manchester lads, Guilt Trip, take the stage by storm. Kicking it off with Falling At My Feet, well damn these guys are brutal.
With their modern hardcore approach, Guilt Trip hit like an assault rifle. Their energy is infectious, creating chaos in the crowd. Pits began forming, fans began surfing, it was pure metal.
Their set list was a mix of old and new with each one being an even bigger crowd-pleaser than the last. We had Surrounded By Pain, Eyes Wide Shut, Severance and many more that hit like a wave of carnage.
Guilt Trip are truly exceptional at what they do, with a solid reputation for fierce live shows, these guys
went above and beyond tonight.
It’s no lie when they say Manchester know how it’s done because the Manny lads did indeed show us, hardcore style.
It was already beginning to get hot and sweaty in here and we’re only two bands in, this is gonna get
crazy. Thanks lads. Third on the bill are Welsh rockers, Holding Absence. Now I’ve heard consistently good things about these guys’ shows so my expectations were quite high.
I think you already know what I’m going to say… they absolutely smashed it. Like I said, I first saw the lads
back in 2021, since then, they’ve gone on to release one of the top albums of this year, The Noble Art Of Self Destruction.
This album has been everywhere and everyone is talking about it. HA know how to piece together a beautiful masterpiece, whether that be a song, an album or a show, these guys perfect it and this set was proof. Vocalist Lucas Woodland is like a whirling dervish, kicking, jumping, punching, flying around the stage with energy you reckon he’s saved up for about a year.
Their outfits fitting the vibe with Lucas’ denim jackets being covered in little gold paint splatters, correlating to the album cover of TNAOSD. Every little thing, even down to the T is executed perfectly with Scott Carey on guitar adding those soft yet growly vocals or recent addition Benjamin Elliott
adding those hearty bass riffs and of course, the incredible Ashley Green giving it his all on the drums. Every single one of these guys works in unison to create a unique, memory for us to leave with because this set was certainly like no other.
Playing one of their most listened-to songs on Spotify, Afterlife was certainly a crowd-pleaser. Especially for me, that was one of the first songs I listened to by them. It’s good through my earphones and was even better live. Holding Absence are a bunch of humble, downto-earth dudes who are just here for a good time and boy did they give us one.
Now, the headliners. As I’m writing this, I’m laughing to myself because this set was just unbelievable. Unbelievable in a good way of course but, it wasn’t just your standard show.
Oh no, it was definitely a While She Sleeps show and let me tell you all about it. The lights go dark, the crowd goes absolutely wild as each member of the band takes the stage, we had Sean and Mat on guitar, Aaran on bass and Adam on the drums.
Soon followed by the man himself, Loz Taylor. They kicked off the set with one of their most popular songs, Sleeps Society. Everything was going just perfectly.
Loz was doing his thing, I was doing mine, the crowd was doing theirs until… pyro. Now if you don’t
know what pyro is, it’s when bands use fire during their songs. Well, maybe this wasn’t a very good idea in a venue this size. I think you can guess what happened. Yes, the fire alarm went off.
I didn’t even realise until another photographer tapped me on the shoulder and said to take out my earplugs, it was then I heard the forbidden noise. We all thought they were having sound difficulties as Loz’s mic was cut but no, full building evacuation began. The people at the barrier, oh my gosh, they were not happy.
A man yelling that he’d been clutching his spot for hours and now they were forced to leave. It was crazy, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
As we exited the building, we stood outside with the band members of Holding Absence, everyone chatting away about how unbelievable this was. One of While She Sleeps biggest hometown shows and this happens.
You couldn’t write it. After 30 minutes of being stood in the spitting rain and cold, we were all let back inside. Thank god. The show carried on from the second song, I don’t think they dare risk another pyro disaster so it was no flames for the lads. It’s safe to say their technician had a sense of humour as we walked into The Prodigy’s Firestarter blading over the speakers, very funny.
Kicking it off for the second time with You Are All You Need, everything quickly went back to the good type of chaos. The crowd surfers were relentless, flying over the barrier one after another after another. I don’t know how we managed to shoot in that pit because it was absolute bedlam but the craziness is all part of a WSS show, you couldn’t expect anything less.
One song I was excited for tonight was their recently released single Down, which featured the incredible Malevolence. Part of me had my fingers and toes crossed that they might bring Alex (singer from Malev) out on stage and well….. they indeed did.
My heart was complete as this was also their live debut of the song. It went hard. These guys need to do a tour ASAP and you heard it here first, WSS/Malev incoming. That would be an instant sellout, easy.
The madness doesn’t stop there, oh no. The lads only managed two more songs before the whole set got paused, again. Halfway through You Are We, a poor lad in the crowd had to be escorted out by paramedics due to a serious injury (were later told that he was fine) but this was just another setback for the lads to which Loz says “this night kinda feels like some Final Destination type shit” which of course got everybody laughing and the vibes soon returned to normal.
After restarting the song, the set carried on as normal, could you believe it? No issues for the rest of the night. For Four Walls, Loz was joined on stage by Lucas (HA), for Self Hell Jack (MC) jumped up on the stage and for the incredible Silence Speaks (my personal favourite), Jay (GT) shot on with Loz and
made it a night to remember, not like it already was.
So all in all, I think it’s only fair that I say While She Sleeps won the award for most craziest, chaotic, unforgettable show this year. All madness aside, their set was absolutely incredible as always and I would do it all over again
Review & Photography by Sian Connolly for MPM
