Page 46 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 103

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SLEEPING WITH SIRENS / PALISADES / SHVPES – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 07.11.19
When the busy autumn concert season begins, you’re often left de- neering as he stares out to the crowd, occasionally putting his tongue out,
ciding how many gigs you can feasibly manage to go to as booking agents while fellow guitarist Nick Martin throws out plectrums to the crowd. With
seem to squeeze and squash as many bands as they can into venues in ‘Tally It Up, Settle The Score’, there’s such a power in the instrumental
one go. One band that always gets a definite yes though, is Sleeping With sound that it’s enough to almost set the band off to the moon. Or if not,
Sirens. then Jupiter! They bounce up and down, firing on all cylinders.
Opening band SHVPES, fronted by Griffin Dickinson (son of Iron Kellin speaks before ‘Better Off Dead’ but says it’s not a speech, it’s
Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson) melds all-pervading heaviness with hip-hop just how he feels. He dedicates it to anyone that’s not having a good night,
elements. It’s a riotous hotpot that sees highlights being the ray of melody a good week, month or year. “If you look in the mirror and you don’t think
sprouting from ‘Renegades’ and the softer ‘Afterlife’ diving from shining you are beautiful enough and you don’t think you’re good enough, this
melodic rock to conviction-filled hip-hop vocals. While they’re a little too song is your song tonight.” He tells the crowd that sometimes he doesn’t
heavy for us overall, the crowd seems to love them and eagerly mosh like what he sees either and some days he doesn’t know if he can walk
along. outside to get onstage and perform the songs with his band. They’re heart-
Usually fronted by Lou Miceli, Palisades are currently operating as a felt words that many can relate to.
four-piece while Lou takes some time out due to personal issues. How- Their acoustic break sees Kellin sing ‘One Man Army’ and ‘Gold’, while
ever, if you hadn’t known this, you probably would not have guessed, as Nick Martin plays the acoustic guitar. Kellin’s vocals sound precious. Back
the four-piece look and sound like an extremely tight band that have been in full-band electric mode, ‘Blood Lines’, from their new album, ‘How It
playing this way for years. Brandon Elgar usually plays bass (as well as Feels To Be Lost’, is particularly haunting. With Tonight Alive’s Matty Best
contributing vocals), but is currently focusing on lead vocals, while doing a great job sitting in on drums, ‘Medicine (Devil In My Head)’ sounds
Matthew Marshall, who usually is one of the band’s two guitarists, holds truly monstrous, while ‘Break Me Down’ is another powerhouse with its
down the bass position while Lou is away from the band. Brandon does a stomping beats and aggressive feel. After ending the main set with ‘Kick
sterling job as the main vocalist, in fact he actually smashes it out of the Me’, the band return for ‘If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn’ and
ballpark – it’s not surprising that he was a frontman in his previous band. final song, another energetic banger, ‘If You Can’t Hang’. Tonight, Sleeping
Although having four studio albums, the band’s set primarily focuses on With Sirens definitely made many fans’ day, week, month and year.
their last two, with songs like ‘Fade’, with its shades of epicness, ‘War’ YYYYY
and ‘Shed My Skin’ from ‘Erase The Pain’ and the inflaming ‘Through Hell’, SBV
plus ‘Cold Heart (Warm Blood)’, ‘Fall’ and ‘Let Down’ being from their
2017-released self-titled album. The band’s cover of Linkin Park’s ‘One
Step Closer’ is the icing on the cake though, with not only Brandon’s vo-
cals being on point, but the band’s music too. They end with the title track
of ‘Erase The Pain’, a song that sounds like it has a little Linkin Park influ-
ence of its own, and guitarist Xavier Adames also shows off his own ex-
cellent voice adding quality backing vocals.
There’s a huge cheer when Sleeping With Sirens run out onto the
stage. Kicking off with ‘Leave It All Behind’, the passion between the band
and fans is immense – the crowd’s singing is so loud it challenges Kellin
Quinn’s, while the band all look commanding, with Kellin, bassist Justin
Hills, guitarists Jack Fowler and Nick Martin all taking turns to lean on or
step up on the risers at the front of the stage. This is a band that, although
Kellin is the frontman, and one looked up to by many, every member has
his own large part to play in the band, each getting their own share of the
spotlight with no-one in the shadows. Each member would make a great
frontman in their own right. Guitarist Jack Fowler looks particularly domi-

Kellin Quinn & Justin Hills (Sleeping With Sirens)
Photo By Shari Black Velvet
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