It takes a special sort of band to get me inspired enough to attend multiple shows on a tour, and an even more special gig to get me to make a last-minute decision to attend another show. Originally, I had just planned to go to the Manchester date of Bleed From Within’s tour, but as soon as they stepped out onto that stage and melted my face with Crown Of Misery, I knew I needed to see more than just one show. Once the set was over, to my surprise I discovered they were actually playing a show in Liverpool the day after – so on my train home, I decided to book my ticket. It seemed like the right thing to do, after all.
The set began with drummer Ali standing centre stage and hyping the crowd up, and then the rest of the band joined him before they launched into the first track of the evening, the punchy and hard-hitting Crown Of Misery. On their previous tour, they’d opened with Clarity, which served well as an opener due to the way it builds up, but Crown Of Misery felt like an even better choice. The way it instantly gets going means that it brings the energy and momentum right from the start, and perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the set.
Up next was Uprising, a song frontman Scott described as an ‘old one’ (which made me feel old as well, because I remember attending shows where it was described as a new song!) and the energetic rendition kept the pace going nicely before the band progressed into Afterlife, which was one of the highlights of the performance. Whilst great in its recorded form, in a live environment it’s a whole different beast and has extra bite to it. The energy onstage was second to none, and the headbanging was impressive as always.
It was also awesome to finally hear Bed Of Snakes live! I remember feeling a little disappointed when it wasn’t included in their Manchester set last year, as it’s one of those tracks that seems tailor-made for a live environment, so when the opening chords filled the room, it felt utterly fantastic – and like I expected, it had such a massive kick to it and it was very well-received by the enthusiastic crowd.
Indeed, the crowd was fantastic. Despite Bleed From Within only being on a support slot, the enthusiasm that greeted them was tremendous and it felt like the vast majority of the room were behind them. People just wanted to move and get involved, and there was a great vibe between the band and crowd, especially when we were challenged to best the Manchester crowd from the night before (which, in my opinion, we did)! The atmosphere was great and it was nice to be a part of it all.
Rounding up the set with Alive, I felt massively alive myself. After two incredible shows, I almost felt lost for words. Bleed From Within has always been a band that gives 110% with their live performances, and witnessing another two stunning shows from the five-piece, it feels like there’s no stopping this incredible band. If you haven’t seen this band live yet, then this is something that you need to remedy because seeing Bleed From Within is always an absolute treat.
10/10
