Parkway Drive – Live @ Manchester Academy
aaamusic | On 24, Dec 2014
Wednesday 17th December, Manchester
Prior to tonight, I’d seen Parkway Drive once, about four years ago before the release of Deep Blue – their third album, and the album that carried them on the route of further critical acclaim. It’s hard to picture a band such as this filling out venues of this size time and time again, but they do it.
After arriving late, as I waited in the queue, I could hear some of the final notes of Carnifex’s set, although from the sounds of it, the blistering sounds were enough from outside of the venue walls, rather than from within.
Next tonight we have Northlane who, after their successful run as support to Architects earlier this year, and the rousing support I saw for them, I was expecting great things from. The band pull out all the stops, especially from the axe wielding guitarists who take your ears and mind to new heights, but the crowd doesn’t inspire as much as the band onstage do.
Heaven Shall Burn were a band I was not entirely familiar with, but who brought just as much energy to the stage this evening as the very excitable crowd that were waiting anxiously for them. Throughout, vocalist Marcus interacted with the crowd, from handing out the microphone to asking the crowd to part in the middle to partake in a wall of death – a typical trait of heavy shows, and one that looks more interesting from the outside than the inside.
Parkway Drive, who played their very first show in Manchester at the infamous Satan’s Hollow, have come a long away from those days and they can now amass huge crowds like tonight’s sold out concert. Kicking things off with the sing a long ‘Wild Eyes’; as the first notes ring out the crowd knows what to do and the band have a full choir of voices singing loud and proud along to their favourite band.
This was a no holds barred show, from confetti cannons to pyro and a magnificent light show. Nothing screamed to me more than a band who want to make every moment of their tours memorable, for them and their fans, and tonight they do just that with every note they hit; every guttural scream by the triumphant leader of this troop, Winston, who holds the audience in the palm of his hands, and does so modestly. Tonight could have only ended with one song, and that was the awe-inspiring ‘Carrion’ which roused the audiences voices to where you could feel the hairs on your body stand. Ever since I heard this band six years ago, they have always remained in rotation, fulfilling me with memories and inspiration as a musician and music fan.
