Going into this review is going to be a weird one, you have three bands here that kind of differ from each other in quite a few ways but also bring each other together at the same time. We have Solstafir along with Katatonia supported by Som; Katatonia have taken remorseless doom and they make everything around them beautiful. If you’re a fan of bands like Depeche Mode then this is a tour that you should’ve been at. For a Saturday night, The Ritz isn’t exactly packed but a fairly decent crowd has made their way in, to be fair the first band on the card is on fairly soon after doors opened so there isn’t much you can do. When looking through the crowd you can spot the mix of Solstafir and Katatonia shirts.

Taking the stage first to kick off the night, Som brought in a type of music that you could easily get yourself lost in, there were so many twists and turns throughout their set it was eye catching. The vibe that they had changed every now and again throughout their set, with fragile melodies and dark pounding rhythms. Sometimes it could be fairly fuzzy and distorted and then it could easily switch to being the other way around and go to clean, they’re a band that if you hadn’t listened to them before then this may throw you off the first time around. This is something you could see within the crowd, as if everyone there didn’t know what to make of what was going on around them, but by the end of their set, the crowd had erupted in cheers giving these guys an amazing nod of approval.

Solstafir was interesting to say the very least, and I’m going to say this in a good way too. They weren’t what I expected but then again I didn’t know what to really expect from this. The entire performance is atmospheric, ethereal and it brings you in as every second passes by. Over the course of this nine song set, there is not one single one that clocks in at less than six minutes. None of this feels long, these guys don’t outstay their welcome and they’re making sure that throughout this entire set, you remember this performance.

Everything starts off slow and subtle, and then they hit you with a build of girth and power. Solstafir are nothing short of extraordinary this evening, from the sides myself and several other photographers are on our feet looking at what’s going on, because it’s always something new.

For the set closer, ‘Goddess of the Ages’. Everything gets dialled up. It’s intense and atmospheric. Aoalbjorn jumps off the stage and this is the moment in the show when I watch around four security guards look honestly terrified for what they’re seeing in front of them, he then decides to balance on the very tip of the barrier like a tightrope walker. He then manages to cover the entire barrier distance, changing the hands that he’s grabbing in the crowd to keep himself up and balanced. Safe to say this was a sight to see and a way to make many members of the crew at The Ritz tonight be utterly terrified in what they’re witnessing, but it kept everyone’s eyes on him and very much entertained. But this just shows the dedication these guys have to put on such an incredible show, and it was from vocals, bass, guitar and drums all the way to stage presence alone, I really hope they keep to their word when they say they will be coming back to Manchester.

Now after that performance, I was wondering how the hell Katatonia could exactly top that, but a majority of the crowd are here for them tonight so I’m ready to see how they could do exactly that. Having just released their latest album Sky Void of Stars they have a new set of material to try out for everyone tonight.

Forsaker brings in the sing along aspect of the show, and then My Twin gets brought in their more modern hit. Now the only downside for having a joint tour is that some of the crowd come for one band and one band only, and throughout the performance you do see the crowd get gradually smaller. But that doesn’t have any effect on the band, as they go full on with their hardcore themes for those in the crowd. Untrodden and City Burials brings the main set to a gargantuan conclusion. Now for me personally, this isn’t something i could go out of my own way to listen to on a day to day, for me I find the songs a bit repetitive and they all sound pretty much the same, at times you can’t really tell a song has changed and that you’re stuck on a really long 10-15 minute track.

From the balcony you can see people loving every second, I was concerned for one fan who looked like she was close to falling over the railing when she was trying to get a closer look, as she head banged and sang along throughout the entire show. Katatonia were great, they sounded amazing for the type of music that they produce. However, in terms of stage presence, and everything combined with the performance I can’t deny that Solstafir were the key holders in terms of performance tonight. Honestly they were that good, not my music personally but I’d go along to another show just for the performance alone.

Words & images: Lauren Allard

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