Defences at The Lions Den, Manchester — 31st January 2025 : Live Gig Review

Defences at The Lions Den, Manchester — 31st January 2025 : Live Gig Review

3rd February 2025 0 By Jess Mather

The Venue: Lions Den
Tucked away just off Deansgate, Lions Den is a hidden gem within Deansgate Mews, an upper-level street lined with Manchester’s best independent bars, restaurants, and creative spaces. The venue itself strikes a perfect balance between relaxation and live entertainment.
Outside, a spacious seating area with picnic benches and gazebos offers a laid-back atmosphere, while inside, the cozy bar maintains the same welcoming vibe. The venue is split over two floors—head downstairs for the toilets or upstairs to the main event space, where live performances bring the venue to life.

Lions Den is more than just a bar; it’s a dedicated supporter of grassroots music, providing a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent. Whether you’re after a chilled drink, an intimate gig, or a chance to discover new music, it’s a spot well worth visiting.

Alchemize Photo courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

The Opening Act: Alchemize
Hailing from Manchester, UK, Alchemize are a four-piece band making waves with their unique blend of “R&B-infused metal.” Formed in the summer of 2023, the lineup includes Connor Blackwood (vocals), Brandon Carson (guitar, supporting vocals), Adam Kenyon (guitar, supporting vocals), and George Turner (drums).

Signed to Year of the Rat Records, Alchemize have carved out their own space in the alternative scene, effortlessly merging the smooth, soulful melodies of R&B with the raw power of metal. Their sound is a striking fusion of emotive vocals, crushing riffs, and dynamic rhythms, creating a refreshing crossover between two genres that are often seen as opposites. With a growing presence and a fresh approach to heavy music, Alchemize are quickly becoming a band to watch.

The band played a new track, “Red Lights”, which had been released just a week prior. Despite its recent debut, the song had already gathered significant attention, including being named BBC Introducing’s Rock Track of the Week, played on Kerrang Radio’s Fresh Blood Hour, and added to both Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Heavy and Apple Music’s Breaking Hard Rock playlists.

Throughout their set, Alchemize remained professional and engaging, creating an atmosphere that had the crowd laughing, clapping, and in a great mood for the next act. However, one notable aspect of their performance was the heavy reliance on backing tracks. While these are becoming increasingly common in live music, they can sometimes blur the line between a raw live experience and a more polished studio sound. In some moments, the layers of pre-recorded elements risked overshadowing the organic energy of the band itself.

There was a minor technical glitch during their set, but it was handled with great professionalism. Frontman Connor Blackwood quickly acknowledged the issue with humor, joking, “This isn’t us,” before promptly fixing the problem and continuing without missing a beat. Alchemize proved themselves to be a fantastic opening act, and their performance set a lively tone for the rest of the evening.

The Supporting Act: The Mechanist
As the stage was being reset, Bullet for My Valentine’s “All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)” played over the venue speakers, a fitting nod to their own 20th anniversary gig the night before. (Check out a full review of that show here!)

Next up was The Mechanist, a five-piece metalcore band from Leeds, the industrial heart of the UK. Signed to Mosaic Music, the band—James Cheal (vocals), Sam Butterfield (guitar), Jack McCafferey (guitar), Connor Devlin (bass), and Les Harrison (drums)—delivers a digitized metal-rock sound infused with an almost punk-like message.

Their standout moment came during “Galaxy Brain”, when James playfully engaged the crowd, asking if anyone knew what a “galaxy brain” was before proudly declaring, “It’s a f***ing idiot!” Later in the set, they treated the audience to a live debut of their upcoming single, “Accelerant”, which is set for release in just four days, accompanied by a music video directed by Diaphony Productions.

As a second act, The Mechanist brought solid energy and musicianship, regularly engaging with the crowd. However, a stronger push for audience participation could have elevated their set even further. Given their lyrical themes of rampant misinformation and a dystopian technological future, topics many can relate to, they had a prime opportunity to get the crowd even more involved.

With a clear vision and their foot firmly on the gas, The Mechanist shows no signs of slowing down. As they continue writing and recording, all roads lead toward their highly anticipated debut full-length album. Keep an eye on them, they’re just getting started.

Crushed By Waves Photo courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

The Penultimate Act: Crushed By Waves
Crushed By Waves have been making waves, both in the studio and on stage, since their formation in 2020. Hailing from the North West, the gritty alt-rock quartet, made up of Arran Prime (vocals), Andy Hoskinson (guitar), Dan Collict (guitar), and Tom West (drums), delivers a high-energy blend of melodic verses, powerhouse breakdowns, and anthemic choruses. Their growing fanbase and industry recognition are proof that they’re a band on the rise.

With the release of their debut album “More To Life” in March 2024, Crushed By Waves have been unstoppable. The album has earned glowing reviews from Distorted Sound Magazine and GBHBL, while tracks have been featured on BBC Introducing’s Rock and added to Spotify’s Breakthrough Rock playlist, helping push their total album streams past 100,000 in just over a week. They wasted no time taking the album on tour, securing a slot at Download’s Boardie Takeover and landing a full run of support dates with Defences on their early 2025 tour.

Taking the stage in their hometown, frontman Arran brought an undeniable sense of authenticity, sharing how much it meant to be playing for a crowd that had supported them from the start. His gratitude was evident as he acknowledged the crowd’s support, recognizing that everyone in the room had spent their hard-earned money to be there. But he didn’t just talk, he got the crowd moving. Whether leading the audience in clapping, headbanging, or jumping, his infectious energy set the tone for a night of pure adrenaline. At one point, he even took things a step further, jumping off stage and throwing himself into the action, forming a mini mosh pit that nearly took over the intimate venue.

The band’s clever use of melodic backing tracks and extended bridges allowed for deeper crowd interaction, making for a dynamic and engaging live experience. Their ability to seamlessly blend tight musicianship with an electric stage presence proved exactly why they’re gaining momentum.

Crushed By Waves Photo courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

Looking ahead to 2025, Crushed By Waves are set to perform at Hammerdown Festival in Brighton, UK, and will continue their rise as special guests on the Defences tour. If their live show is anything to go by, this is a band with no intention of slowing down.

The Headliner : Defences
As the lights came up, anticipation filled the air as the stage crew quickly got to work. Black and white rose vines were meticulously arranged around the drum kit, keyboard, and microphone. The addition of vibrant rhythm lights set the scene, but it was the arrival of two towering candelabras that signaled we were about to witness something truly special.

All the way from Hertfordshire, Defences have carved a unique niche in the alternative metal scene since their formation in 2013. The band comprises Cherry Duesbury on vocals, William Young handling keys and vocals, Calum Wilmot on guitar, Owen Hughes-Holland on bass, and Kyle Parke behind the drums. Over the past decade, they’ve cultivated a rapidly growing fanbase, and tonight marked a significant milestone: their debut headline show in Manchester, promoting their third studio album, “Shadowlight,” released in November 2024.

Cherry commanded the stage with an undeniable presence. Her black and white box braids, studded headband, dark makeup, and black sclera contact lenses crafted a rock-chic aesthetic that was both fierce and captivating. While her ensemble was striking, it was noticeable that the rest of the band opted for more understated attire, allowing Cherry’s dynamic persona to take center stage.

Defences Photo courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

Musically, the band delivered a polished performance, seamlessly blending ambient backing tracks with live instrumentation to create a rich, immersive soundscape. But despite the energy onstage, the crowd’s response was more reserved than expected. Applause and cheers followed each song, but the atmosphere never reached the roaring intensity you might expect for a headliner. Whether it was down to the band not fully encouraging interaction or simply a tough Manchester crowd unfamiliar with Defences as a headliner, it was hard to say.

Photo courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

Midway through the set, Cherry took a poignant moment to address the audience:

“It seems like the world is a pretty scary place right now. We’re all dealing with a lot—loss and really weird things to navigate as we go through this crazy, beautiful life. But one thing will remain throughout it all, even if it’s really small, and that thing is hope. And hope is what we have to hold on to, even in the darkest times.”

With that, they launched into “In The Black,” a track that resonated deeply with the crowd, its themes of resilience and optimism striking a chord in these uncertain times.

DefencesPhoto courtesy of Fretfocus Photography© for All About The Rock

Looking ahead, Defences have an exciting schedule, with performances lined up in London, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. They’ll also be part of the Modern Era Festival throughout February and March before returning for the Uprising Festival in May.

As the evening drew to a close, it was clear that Defences have the sound and stage presence to command a crowd, but whether they’ll fine-tune their live engagement to match remains to be seen. With their growing momentum, they’ll likely only get stronger from here.

How useful was this post?

Click on a thumb to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!