Manchester got a seriously heavy night when I Prevail brought their Violent Nature Tour to a packed O2 Victoria Warehouse, with GORE. and Polaris opening the show.
It was a night that moved through three quite different styles of heavy music: from the dark, theatrical sound of GORE., through the melodic metalcore of Polaris, to the huge, explosive production of I Prevail.
GORE. opened the evening with a short but memorable set. Their music has plenty of aggression, but there’s also something unexpectedly theatrical about it. Haley Roughton immediately stood out. Her vocals moved comfortably between strong clean singing, screaming, and moments that almost had an operatic quality. Visually, she was impossible to miss too. The pink boots, pink microphone, and elegant black dress created a strange but very effective contrast with the heavy music.
The seven-song set included ‘Wrath’, ‘Sepsis’, ‘Lead Me to the Slaughter’, ‘Doomsday’, ‘Pray’, ‘Crucified’, and ‘Babylon’. There were moments when the music became surprisingly melodic, even slightly pop-influenced, but that actually worked well against the heavier sections. The crowd responded with clapping and singing, and by the end of the set, GORE. had definitely made an impression. And Haley would return later in the evening for a guest appearance with I Prevail.
Polaris took the intensity up several levels.
The Australian band came out with a much more direct metalcore attack, mixing crushing riffs and screams with the melodic choruses that have become such an important part of their sound. Their Manchester set was: ‘Dissipate’, ‘Without You’, ‘All of This Is Fleeting’, ‘Landmine’, ‘Inhumane’, ‘Above My Head’, ‘Hypermania’, and ‘Nightmare’.
There was plenty happening in the crowd. Crowd surfers were constantly moving through the room, the floor turned into a sweaty mess, and at one point a huge wall of death opened up. At the same time, Polaris showed the other side of their sound. The melodic parts were often taken over by the audience, with large sections of the room singing back to the band. Jamie Hails was particularly convincing when switching between the aggressive vocal delivery and the more atmospheric parts of the songs. With Rick Schneider on guitar, Jake Steinhauser on bass and vocals, and Daniel Furnari behind the drums, Polaris sounded tight and powerful.
Then came I Prevail.
From the opening ‘N.W.O.’, it was obvious that this was going to be a very different level of production. The sound was big, the room was full, and the band used the entire space extremely well. ‘Bow Down’ arrived almost immediately, and from around the second song onward, pyro became a recurring part of the show. Fire, lights, and movement were appearing constantly, adding another layer to an already very energetic performance.
The set moved quickly through the heavier side of the new Violent Nature material, including ‘Self Destruction’, ‘There’s Fear in Letting Go’, ‘Violent Nature’ and ‘Body Bag’ before moving into ‘Paradise’, which brought one of the evening’s unexpected moments. Haley Roughton from GORE. returned to the stage to join I Prevail for the song, adding her distinctive vocals to the performance. It was a great link between the opening act and the headliners, and a moment that clearly caught the crowd’s attention. From there, ‘Into Hell’ was one of those moments where the band almost disappeared behind the audience. The melodic parts were sung back by a huge part of the room, and the same thing happened repeatedly throughout the set.
Eric Vanlerberghe delivered the aggressive vocals with plenty of power, while Dylan Bowman was much more than just the rhythm guitarist, as his vocal contribution was an important part of the live sound, especially during the melodic sections. Steve Menoian handled lead guitar, Jon Eberhard kept things moving on bass, and Gabe Helguera provided the relentless drumming.
The band also kept things moving visually. Eberhard was constantly moving around the stage, while the raised stage section, keyboards, lighting, and pyro gave the show a much bigger feel than a straightforward metalcore performance. Then came ‘Bad Things’, followed by a great surprise: a cover of Metallica‘s ‘Sad But True’. It fitted the atmosphere perfectly and gave the crowd another reason to get involved.
After ‘Rain’, Gabe Helguera got his own moment with a drum solo. It worked well as a short break from the relentless pace of the main set before the band launched back into ‘God’. It gave the crowd a chance to reset before the final run of songs.
The closing part of the show was all energy: ‘Choke’, ‘Come and Get It’, ‘Hurricane’, and finally ‘Gasoline’. There was a huge circle pit, constant movement in the crowd, and plenty of shouting back at the band.
A night built around energy
What worked particularly well about the Manchester show was the contrast between the three bands.
GORE. brought something darker and more theatrical. Polaris delivered the raw metalcore side of the evening, complete with a wall of death and a seriously active crowd. I Prevail then took all of that energy and wrapped it in a much bigger production, with pyro, lights, massive choruses, and a set that moved between brutal heaviness and highly melodic moments.
For me, the strongest part of the night was the connection between the bands and the audience. Whether it was the wall of death during Polaris, the huge singalongs during I Prevail‘s melodic songs, or the circle pit during the later part of the set, the Victoria Warehouse crowd was involved from beginning to end.
I Prevail‘s Violent Nature era clearly has a heavier edge, but the Manchester show proved that the band’s live identity still relies just as heavily on melody, audience participation, and big hooks.
It was loud, aggressive, theatrical, and extremely physical, exactly what a packed Victoria Warehouse is built for.
