Smash into Pieces are at Manchester’s O2 Ritz with a welcoming queue that takes you right around the corner with fans in merch from old to new, not even allowing you time to think about who could be playing at the venue that night.
First support for the night are Metalcore band, Dark Divine from Orlando Florida. These guys are unique to say the least, they look like they all popped right out of an unhinged dark romance novel with their looks, all of them taking a character when they take to the stage. Their stage makeup is incredible, if you don’t already know then when you go to their shows you would honestly think you’re just going to hear straight up deathcore from start to finish with the most soul crushing level heavy vocals that make you question life and just think of pig squeals. The one thing you wouldn’t expect was gorgeous heartfelt lyrics with gorgeous cleans and harsh vocals from frontman Anthony Martinez, who takes the scary makeup and lets you see just how loveable of a person he really is.
Bassist Cory is like an entity, he’s a mystery with the way he portrays himself on stage, his playing is immaculate throughout the performance and he really knows how you get your attention whilst also looking like the type of guy who wants to blend into the shadows, with his hood up only showing the bottom half of his face which makes him even more menacing, especially if he locks eyes with you, you might get a signature smirk that would make you feel like cowering in fear of watching out of curiosity.
Guitarist and backing vocalist Robby gives the same vibes to me as Jim Root from Slipknot, the makeup and performance just reminds me of a younger version of Jim, Robby can connect with the crowd well whilst absolutely killing it on guitar.
Despite being in the background thanks to a drum kit, drummer Triston has one of the more toned down makeup looks of the band with black makeup looking like it’s leaking from his mouth, his skills on the drums are nothing less than incredible this man knows how to carry a song and really make the songs flow effortlessly. Dark Divine may seem like they’re smaller to some right now but they’re rising up and they’re rising up quick, during this performance they had the entire crowds attention with many people in the crowd having similar makeup looks to the band showing a very connected fanbase. They’re rising up even more so recently with vocalist Anthony collaborating on the brand new Motionless in White album that’s due out this year. Dark Divine are the new obsession.
Setlist:
- Halloweentown II: Welcome Home
- Make Me Disappear
- Better Start Digging
- Permanent
- Half Past Dead (Unbury Me)
- Cold
- Halloweentown
Second support are Enemy Inside from Germany, I had no idea about these guys walking into this show and I wanted that full element of surprise when they performed and I’m so glad I did because I was not expecting any thing of what I experienced from this performance.
The best way of describing Enemy Inside is as if you had merged the likes of Poppy, Paramore with symphonic metal and called it its own genre. You would have to make your own sub genre just for them with the amount of times the sound changes, at times I even got Electric Callboy vibes from them.
Lead vocalist Nastassja Giulia has a stunning set of vocals that honestly capture you’re attention instantly with how beautiful her voice is but also how much of a demon she can be with them within two seconds constantly leaving you on your toes or on the edges of your seats.
This crowd had fans with their young kids and at one point there was this young girl couldn’t have been older than four years old who was vibing and I mean vibing to this band, she was jumping, spinning and throwing out dance moves all over the place to the point where her very metal fan looking parents had to try and slow her down only for her to refuse, this was a hold that this band has on the new generation and older. They bring new level of energy with their heavy electronic sound that just makes everyone in the crowd move at an incredible rate. If you’re a fan of Poppy merged with electronic then you need to get on these guys asap so you can be a fan early on an experience the growth that they’re going to have. The show is one big party and it’s one you’re all invited to.
Setlist:
- Venom
- Should Have Been Better
- Sayonara
- Dirt on my Name
- Don’t call me Angel
- Innocent
- R.I.P
- Fuck That Party
- Release Me
- What We Used to Be
- Phoenix
Smash into Pieces are finally going to take to the stage with a stage set up that sets short people like me up for a tough night looking up. The band from Sweden had the drum kit perched on top of a platform that looks like a giant arcade game with “Arcadia” in bold red letters on top, the drummer wears an LED mask that makes the intro to the show look more menacing as he describes to the crowd the lore of the show they’re about to witness and what they have came along to see, before the intro fully starts and the rest of the band take to the stage starting the night off with Man Or Machine. Very fitting.
All four members of the band have unstoppable energy from the start of the show with an aura that hits you like a hypnotic spell. The light show that goes on throughout just adds to the gaming vibe that is being displayed, it adds to the performance and makes a mini rave feel come into the Ritz on a Sunday evening. Thank god it’s a bank holiday.
The crowd is going absolutely insane with the biggest grins hitting the fans at the barriers faces, with lead vocalist Chris Sorbye noticing this and interacting with multiple fans throughout the performance along with guitarists Benjamin Jennebo and Per Bergquist.
These guys were jumping and doing insane moves across the stage just making the energy in the room feel electric, these guys know how to carry a show without a doubt. To get the feel I left the insane crowd downstairs to have a look on the balcony and the light show from above is even better than below on the floor, it made this old venue come alive again I’ve not seen a spectacle like this in this venue in such a long time I couldn’t tell you the last band do a performance like this one in this very room.
Their highly melodic, electronic metal sound just makes you feel like you’re at one insane party that you never want to end and I’m pretty sure everyone in this crowd will agree with me when they say that a 17 song set list for them was nowhere near enough.
Chris’ vocals seem effortless, he’s a vocalist that slots so well into a band it’s like they’re pieces of the same puzzle that just fit and it makes life easy and satisfying, his vocals work so well with the guitarist and drummer that it’s like they were all hand-picked to slot together.
Setlist:
- Man or Machine
- Venom
- Six Feet Under
- Glow in the Dark
- All Eyes on You
- Arcadia
- Let Me Be Your Superhero
- Heroes are Calling
- Trigger
- Devil in My Head
- Somebody Like You
- Boomerang
- Hurricane
- Flow
- Like This!
- Big Bang
- Hollow
Images: Lauren Allard
Words: Jacob Robinson & Lauren Allard
