LIVE REVIEW: Seether @ The Ritz, Manchester

It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard much from SEETHER. The South African hard rock/grunge outfit soared into the mainstream with tracks such as Fake It, Bother, and Six Gun Quota, before going somewhat silent for a number of years. Now, the band have returned this year with their eighth studio album, Poison The Parish, which has received incredibly strong feedback from fans and critics alike. On their recent UK tour with SONS OF TEXAS and LTNT, we caught their Manchester show to see how they performed.

Opening for such a popular band as SEETHER is no easy feat, so the expectations were high for SONS OF TEXAS’ set. Bursting in with plenty of energy to cover the entire night, SONS OF TEXAS absolutely delivered to the highest possible standard for an opening act. Their blend of intense energy and fast-paced, hard rock with softer moments, such as that in the track Beneath The Riverbed, made for a fantastic warm-up for the night to come. Vocalist Mark Morales’ energy was an incredible sight as he bound around the stage and delivered both harsh and clean vocals excellently, while guitarists Jon Olivares and Jes De Hoyos’ riffs provided the hard rock hit that was so well suited for the night. Bassist Nick Vallirreal was one of the most impressive sights to see during SONS OF TEXAS’ set, as his complex basslines in tracks such as Feed The Need blew the crowd away and provided the bounce and energy that an opening band should provide without fail. Based on their performance on this night alone, SONS OF TEXAS have a very bright future ahead of them.

Rating: 10/10

After such a strong start to the night, the pressure was on for LTNT to perform at the top of their game and blow the audience away. This didn’t quite happen initially, as technical issues stopped the band entirely after their second song for a few minutes, which disrupted the flow of the evening. As a band, however, LTNT were incredibly tight and performed very well for the crowd, with their mix of hard rock and slight psychedelic elements, and sharp, well-oiled vocals being the highlight of the set. Their blend of alt rock, grunge, and a touch of the blues made for an interesting addition to the otherwise all-out grunge/hard rock bill, which ended up working quite well. While there were some redeeming features to their set and the overall energy of their performance drastically improved after the first half, the technical issues and the lack of energy towards the start slowed the pace of the show. While it’s absolutely clear that LTNT are a group of very talented and devoted musicians, their performance tonight didn’t quite hit the mark compared to the other bands on the bill.

Rating: 7/10

Performing in a packed The Ritz, SEETHER enter the stage to a chorus of cheers. It seemed the sound system drowned the band out for the first couple of songs, but once this seemed to be rectified you could hear how well the band were performing. Frontman Shaun Morgan’s signature vocals brought nostalgic waves to the crowd during classic tracks such as Fake It and Rise Above This, while demonstrating the power of their new material off Poison The Parish. Changing the mood entirely midway through the set, the stage dims as a spotlight glares over Shaun during an incredible performance of the classic acoustic track, Broken. The crowd singing along to every word of Broken demonstrate how big of a band SEETHER are, and how much of an impact they had on the grunge and hard rock scene. Ending the night with the ever-popular Fake It and other tracks from their older albums simply lit the venue up, and riffs from Shaun were well executed as he performed without fault during the set. Drummer John Humphrey and bassist Dale Stewart were also consistent throughout the set. Overall, their set was tight and nostalgic, with a couple of bumps at the start which barely effected the outfit’s set. It can be safe to say that after Poison The Parish, SEETHER are back, and are not a force to forget about.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Christopher Ryan Photography here: