When it comes to live bands, I’ve always said that Paradise Lost is a band that is on the top of their game. No matter where you see them, and no matter what the setlist is, it’s absolutely guaranteed that you’ll have a great night. (Indeed, after having such a great time at their Leeds album launch, I booked a ticket to the Wolverhampton gig on the tour as a ‘bonus’ gig!)
Opening tonight’s show was Moonspell. Having really enjoyed their set in Wolverhampton a few days prior, I had high expectations for my second show of theirs, and they didn’t disappoint. Playing a healthy balance of old and new material, songs such as Extinct and Apophthegmata slotted in perfectly next to older songs like Opium. Alma mater was naturally a highlight, and hearing practically the whole room singing along to it was a magical moment. After being a fan for so many years, it was great to finally see them live.
Coming onstage to roars of cheers, Paradise Lost were naturally on top form once again. The songs flowed effortlessly, with frontman Nick’s dry jokes linking each track perfectly together. With a slight change in the setlist from the one I saw in Wolverhampton, hearing Forsaken live really hit hard, especially when followed by one of my personal favourites of theirs, Blood And Chaos.
Like Moonspell, Paradise Lost played a set consisting of a healthy balance of old and new material – a good chunk of the set consisted of tracks from Obsidian, but the performance also visited ten of their previous releases. I felt especially lucky as the vast majority of the set featured songs I’d consider favourites of theirs, and after rounding up the ‘main’ part of their set with live favourite Say Just Words (great on CD, but even more fun live!) the atmosphere in the room was buzzing.
Rather amusingly, the encore’s penultimate track Beneath Broken Earth was the song that multiple members of the crowd decided to crowd surf for, which was some feat considering it was quite possibly the slowest song of the set! Paradise Lost then closed the show with Ghosts, which is a really stunning live track – hopefully it will remain one of their set staples for a long time to come.
Paradise Lost always kill it live, and their Manchester show was no exception. Another fantastic show from the (as described by Nick in Wolverhampton!) four Yorkshire puds and a Finn. Now…when can I book to see them again??
