What was that? No matter what you do you can't seem to shake the deluge of Sleep Token related announcements? Good - any band this big, and this serious, deserves every second of the fame they've earnt themselves. I knew once I saw them last year I had to again, not only to hear Vessel at his beautiful best after the whole loosing his voice incident, but also because the raw ritualistic brilliance in the show, the spectacle, the beauty and violence. This is a band you have to experience live - and I've just done it for the second time. So I set off to my second Sleep Token ritual, ready for a night of insane music and unrivalled spectacle. The verdict? Spoilers - it's a really bloody good one. Here's my review of my evening out to see Sleep Token.
Venue
Oh the O2. My muse. If you've read some other posts of mine, you know I love the O2. Is it the fact that I have Priority? Yes. It's an entirely superficial infatuation, but I really do love the venue. It's super simple to get to on the Jubilee Line, it's got stuff in it to entertain yourself pre-show, it's nice and simple to get in - just a cheeky pat down and a check of the pockets and you're in. Plus, in the venue itself there are plenty of spaces, bars and vendors to keep people running and drinking, so no complaints there. If we're talking refreshments, we're talking central London prices. Around £8.70 for the cheapest pint, £13 for single spirit mixers and £5/6 for soft drinks. Expensive, stupidly so, but that didn't stop me from having a couple beers - when in Rome eh? Except Rome is Greenwich and I was drinking Budweiser from a reusable plastic cup.
My seat up in the second tier was nicely padded, very comfy, and had a brilliant view of the stage. I didn't fidget or move about on it at all, once I was sat, I was comfy enough to stay still. When you're up so high in the venue, it's semi impossible to not see the stage. It also gave a great view of the pit, so you could see everyone enjoying themselves down below. The crowd were also in good spirits, lively and exciting, so all in all it made for a good spot to be in.
Merchandise
Remember way back when I saw Fall Out Boy at the O2 and it was £35 for a shirt? Remember those good old days? Remember when I didn't get a shirt at my last Sleep Token gig because I didn't want to pay £40 and eternally regretted it? Well, the day has come. The price hike has once again happened and we're at that margin. A shirt would run you £40, accessories from £15-30 and higher ticket items like windbreakers at the £100 mark. Insane prices, yes, but what I noticed when I bought my shirt was that this is all truly excellent quality. They're premium Gildan, feel silky smooth, and the print is hardy and well done. The image details on the back are brilliantly detailed and striking, and it feels like it'll keep lovely after loads of washes. If I have one small gripe, its the design on the back. The image of Vessel is awesome, but the text at the bottom is in quite a generic font. With an image so epic, it feels strange that the small 'UK/EU' tag is straight out of the Microsoft basic suite. Apart from that, good vibes all around.
Support Act
The support on this tour is a band called BilMuri - an American rock/jazz fusion band who have been building their own cult following over the last few months across social media and beyond, just like Sleep Token did in the last few years. They were a great stage presence, cracking jokes about American politics and making generally childish statements about sex and 'cranking their hogs' that landed well with the crowd, and me. (I'm no better of course I'm laughing at a dick joke). Their music was really unique, with punk rock tones and underlying saxophone that made for a pretty funky set. They played lots of tracks, and nailed each song back to back with some awesome energy and attack, all with that brilliant undertone of humour. Now, I have a tiny little nit picky thing to say about these guys, and that is that you can tell, and I can now on reflection, that the saxophone tracks were not played live, and must have been tracked. Is that a huge world ending issue? No, by no means. Musicians use backing tracks all the time, but what it does for me, especially when the musician is dancing around trying to sell the fact that they're playing, is cheapen the experience just a little - or at least for me. It takes away some of the magic of live music, trading the experience of a real audible instrument for a more digital perfection instead. But, that didn't impact my enjoyment of them too much, and I listened along to their set, nodding my head and chuckling my way through.
Sleep Token
Since being back in their hometown, Sleep Token have been smashing out shows across Europe. They seemed stunning from the videos I've seen, but when I tell you that these guys were coming onstage with something to prove this time around - especially since the last time they were performing on home soil they're lead singer lost their voice. The lights faded, and as the opening synth strikes of 'The Night Does Not Belong to God' kicked in, the LED's strobing to the beat, you instantly understood the immense scale of the show they were putting on. Vessel took to the stage, and smashed his live vocals, his cadence bleeding with emotion and that signature gritted teeth bite. II, III and IV all played out of their skin, performing every song with scalpel precision and their own swaggering flare. They were even so confident in their songs that they threw in new flares, new drum embellishments from III, and some insane high notes and extremes from Vessel that made my hairs stand on end. This was a band it its best showing that although it may seem like they have something to prove, it would be nothing short of ironic to sleep on them.
In terms of the makeup of the set, there were three sections, one for each of their respective full length albums, 'Sundowning', 'This Place Will Become Your Tomb' and 'Take Me Back to Eden'. Each came with explosive lighting design, with insane strobes and gels that threw insane shadows and shapes across the O2, and some seriously impressive mixing making all the sounds so beautifully clear and crisp. In between the sets, an interlude played, seemingly discussing things pertaining to the bands lore - discussing the possibility of life after death, about our own philosophies surrounding our lives ending, and created this really cool underlying narrative bleed into the show. If we're talking theatrics, these guys have it in in body paint tinted bucket loads. Have a peek at the absolutely stacked setlist now, and tell me it isn't a well put together show:
The Night Does Not Belong to God
The Offering
Dark Signs
Higher
Interlude 1
Atlantic
Hypnosis
Like That
Alkaline
Missing Limbs
Interlude 2
Chokehold
The Summoning (drum solo)
Granite
Rain
Ascensionism
Interlude 3
Take Me Back to Eden
Euclid
It was a back to back setlist of sure fire bangers and crowd pleasers, so what could go wrong? Nothing is what. As a band, Sleep Token have gone strength to strength, not only with their insane spectacles at their gigs but also with their musicianship. You can tell this is a cohort of people who know how to put on a good show, understand what their fans want, and can combine those key elements to create a night that is pretty pitch perfect. Some real highlights for me were definitely the opener TNDNBTG, Missing Limbs for sure and Euclid. I know it's a short list, but when all the tracks are played so bloody well, they're all highlights in my book.
Overall
What can I say? Sleep Token are one of the best bands in live music at the moment, and that's something I'm willing to say with my chest. Between their insane musical range, ability to put on an all parts intense and visually stunning performance, with razor sharp sound as well as some brilliant added elements, I'm not sure I'll ever experience anything as exciting as these rituals again. I love Sleep Token, I love what they do, the music they make - and that love is deepened through these concerts, because you can see how much of themselves they are putting into this. It bleeds from those four people onstage. Will I go and see them again? Probably not until they put out some new music if I'm totally honest, but know that if and when they do, I'll be there - maybe in the pit this time... but as we all know too well by this point, nothing lasts forever. Worship.
Enjoy some more snaps I took of the concert here:
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
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