Alt Blk Era, Bex – The Lodge (Deaf Institute) – Manchester; 15th April 2025

19th April 2025 0 By Laura Jane

Tonight we ventured towards “The Lodge,” which is located in the Deaf Institute, Manchester, to witness Alt Blk Era on their Rave Immortal UK Tour. This is the first time I’ve attended a gig at this room at the Deaf Institute, so I was a bit unsure of what to expect. Before attending, I thought I’d do a little bit of research and noticed that the capacity for this was noted as 140 standing guests. For an act like Alt Blk Era, who have quickly excelled in the music scene, I thought, “Woah, this is a small venue for these guys!” Upon arriving at the venue, it was quaint and had a good nostalgic vibe, and I do have to say it is the perfect venue for intimate gigs. Alt Blk Era’s Manchester show had fully sold out, so it would be great to see how this venue looked and held for an act like Alt Blk Era, and let me just say – I couldn’t have thought of any better venue to have seen this performance this evening. With this being a night with only two acts, the evening was short, but the music was powerful, and the atmosphere was buzzing.

BEX photo courtesy of Laura Jane Photography © & Photography for All About The Rock

Taking to the stage first and the only support act for the evening was BEX. Prior to tonight, I had never heard anything from BEX, but it’s definitely one I’ve been sleeping on, and I’ve been so happy to have been introduced to it tonight. For a person who is so soft-spoken, the music brings out a different side to them. I would describe the sound to be a mix of alternative rock with punk rock sprinkled in the mix – it’s raw, it’s emotional, and it’s fuelled by a passion that radiates throughout the performance. A part of the setup that I found very unique was the fact that they ran with two bassists but no guitarists. Did this work? Yeah, it did, and on an impressive level. I may have been living under a rock the last few years but I have not, to my knowledge, experienced a performance that did not include your standard 6 (or more) string guitars but two bass guitars; so for me it was a different experience and kept in line with what BEX was saying throughout the evening: being unique and different should be embraced!

ALT BLK ERA photo courtesy of Laura Jane Photography © & Photography for All About The Rock

Following on and the headlining act for the evening, Alt Blk Era. Alt Blk Era is a Nottingham-based duo, made up of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, and their synergy on stage is beautiful – honestly, there’s no other word to describe it. Some combinations just work together… Cheese and wine? Yep. Sausage and mashed potatoes? Yep… Nyrobi and Chaya… Hell yes. I don’t think there was any point throughout the evening where the duo were not smiling and genuinely looking like they LIVE for what they do. They say in music, you must first enjoy what you do before others will also appreciate it, and their vibe bolstered this statement tenfold. If I could summarise the sound of Alt Blk Era, it would be a fusion of rock and drum and bass elements with an audible metal influence. With the Rave Immortal UK Tour being in ode to the release of their recent release back on January 10, 2025, via Earache Records. Nyrobi brought a highlight to the fact that the album was centred around life experiences and about her hidden disability, which was the result of a chronic illness that left her bedridden in her teens. As someone who has gone through this myself (we won’t get deep here… I’m not an emotional person (*ahem*… I’m too metal for that, clearly however…), I could resonate with a lot of things that were said during the evening, and it honestly was heartwarming to hear someone being so vocal both musically and spoken, about the trauma and hardship of going through these experiences. The set was inclusive of the full ‘Rave Immortal’ album from start to finish and was an audio experience that I absolutely adored. Midway through the set during the performance of ‘Hunt You Down’, Nyrobi requested the room to split, ready for that wall of… well, not a wall of death but, fact, a runway from the rear of the room to the stage for people to really show what they could do. The crowd participated absolutely, slaying that runway—it was a unique addition to the show and one I’m sure that some of the audience will remember for a while.

ALT BLK ERA photo courtesy of Laura Jane Photography © & Photography for All About The Rock

Alt Blk Era is a testament that shows if you want something, work hard for it, and not let your life challenges get in your way, you will excel at what you do (and superbly, may I add!). The admiration I have gained from this show and the stories they told this evening has given me a newfound respect for them, and honestly, I can not wait to see what they do in the future.

Overall, the atmosphere tonight was absolutely amazing, with artists who reflected that vibe perfectly. There was not one part throughout the evening I felt lacked energy or that ‘feel good’ vibe. For a change of scenery and a different genre than what I’d usually listen to, I had a fabulous evening, and from the reaction from the crowds throughout the night, I’m certain the feeling was mutual in the room.