Throughout this year, there has not been too many British bands who toured only throughout the UK. Enter Defects. The English metalcore titans have been making a name for themselves through exhilarating live shows and mammoth tracks after releasing their debut album Modern Error.
A few tour dates in, it was finally Halloween evening which could only mean one thing. It was time for Manchester to experience one of the most exciting metalcore shows of the year.
Consisting of three bands, this run included openers Knife Bride, Profiler and the headliners Defects, who have a reputation for extremely energetic live shows.
Upon my arrival to Rebellion, the venue of choice for this gig, the hype is contagious. With around 20 minutes of a wait time after doors open, Knife Bride takes to the stage. The band kick things off with fan favourite ‘Sacrifice/Surrender’. The guitar focused sound echoes through the loud speakers as frontwoman Mollie Clack flawlessly plays with her voice, as she mixes melody with grit at times, making this song a gripping opener.
A few songs in, the pace changes as we get introduced to the slowest song of the evening. ‘Territory’ is the latest Knife Bride single, and it sounds spectacular, as Mollie, drummer Sean Millsopp and guitarist Sean Windle steal the show with intricate yet technical musical displays throughout the track.
The track that follows, ‘Permanent Smile’ is arguably the biggest hit the band has at this point, and gets a fantastic response. It is at this point where the band reaches their energy peak, as the members interact with the crowd while they jump onstage, clearly having a blast. This leads perfectly into their last song of the set; ‘Fang Dummy’.
As their set ends, it is clear to the crowd that Knife Bride has a goal to conquer the alterative scene here in the UK, and with only seven songs in their set, it is too little to prove just how much this band is really capable of.
After the second short wait, Profiler, the main support for this tour take to the stage.
Right off the bat, vocalist Mike Evans jumps and encourages the crowd to follow his actions. His infectious energy radiating through his vocals. Despite the venue not selling out, the crowd gives it their all. The pits start as Profiler encourages moshing, and the energy that the crowd gives the band, the band returns.
As Profiler leaves the stage after a performance as energetic as this, there is only one thing that came to all of our minds. Manchester is ready to properly kick this Halloween party off.
And just like that, as if Defects managed to read our mind, the Michael Jackson classic ‘Thriller’ blasts full volume through the Rebellion loud speaker system as they prepare to conquer the stage.
Following ‘Thriller’, a very short intro tape plays as Defects arrive onstage. Captain America warmly greets those in attendance just as the band rips into opener ‘End Of Days’. Immediately the energy levels rise as the crowd screams, jumps and moshes with the most energy so far at this point in the evening.
As the band crushes song after song, the costumes start to disappear, and the energy levels rise even more. Mid-set bangers ‘Modern Error’ and ‘Broken Bloodlines’ sound fantastic live. Frontman Tony Maue, who gets rid of his costume mid set lights up the venue with his extremely energetic stage presence, and incredible harsh vocals as he flawlessly jokes with the crowd and nails each song.
Their short one hour set ends the best way possible, as the band leaves the stage and play in the middle of the crowd for the final song, creating a feeling of unity inside Rebellion as the heaviest band of the night, and headliner ends in the most personal and engaging way possible.
With Defects putting on shows like this, and despite them being a relatively new band, they came very close to selling Rebellion out. The venue, which has a 520 person capacity, is a fantastic one for intimate and energetic live shows, and so, if Defects return, which I have no doubt that they will, could certainly mean that their next shows will be a total sell out.
