LIVE REVIEW: Dream State @ YES (The Pink Room), Manchester

DREAM STATE have been riding a wave of momentum in recent months. Having welcomed vocalist Jessie Powell and resurrected the band from the dead last year, 2023 was a whirlwind year for the post-hardcore outfit. First, they released their Untethered EP, then they graced numerous festival stages, before touring relentlessly across the UK and mainland Europe, the wind is very much in their sails. Now, on the back of their latest release, Still Dreaming, the band hit the road once more and judging by the queue snaking up the stairs to the pink-basked room of Manchester’s intimate venue YES, momentum is building.

For every date on this run, DREAM STATE have shined a light on the UK’s excellent alternative scene by having a local opener on each night on the tour. From AIR DRAWN DAGGER in Sheffield to LASTELLE in Oxford, Manchester welcomes hometown alt quartet CRUSHED BY WAVES. With numerous bodies inside the venue by the time the band hit the stage, it feels like a homecoming for the band and they deliver their metalcore-drive tunes with aplomb. Riding high on the back of debut album, More To Life, CRUSHED BY WAVES keep the energy high and set the tone for the evening nicely, with the likes of You Know and Won’t Get Out Of Alive sounding particularly sharp in the live environment. And in vocalist Aaron Prime, he exudes energy and keep the crowd engaged throughout. A fine opening indeed.

Rating: 7/10

Compared to the more melodic tones of tonight’s openers and indeed, headliners DREAM STATE, UK wrecking crew GRAPHIC NATURE could be seen as a curveball, but within minutes of their entrance to the stage, the band ignite pure bedlam. Led by energetic frontman Harvey Freeman, the band bulldoze their way through a blistering set of aural bedlam, with ample breakdowns and chest-beating euphoria. New single, To The Grave (taken from the band’s upcoming new album Who Are You When No One Is Watching?), sounds particularly hench in the live arena and sits comfortably with the band’s previous material and with the likes of Killing Floor and White Noise hitting like a sledgehammer, the band are a force to be reckoned with. It won’t be long until we see this troupe demolishing much bigger venues than the intimate confines of YES.

Rating: 8/10

Scanning across the venue in the moments before tonight’s headliners take to the stage, it’s clear that DREAM STATE are adored. And this is only reinforced as a thundering rendition of Still Dreaming kicks the set off in the grandest of fashions. “Is this a dream or reality?” Powell sings with the crowd screaming every word back to her and the atmosphere is perfect. Akin to capturing lightning in a bottle. Euphoric.

From there, DREAM STATE smell blood and go for the kill and what follows is utterly exhilarating. Comfort In Chaos‘ up-tempo assault gets bodies moving aplenty, Chin Up Princess‘ earworm of a chorus sounds magnificent in the live setting, and Anxious State Of Mind sees Powell showcase her versatility as a vocalist to great effect.

With just two EPs under their new era, there has been trepidation to how DREAM STATE 2.0 could handle their earlier material but here, they do so oh so wonderfully. The slick guitar and bass tones in White Lies still sound as silky smooth as they did when we first heard them in 2017, Made Up Smile still packs a wallop and Help Myself sees the band’s metalcore tendencies come to the forefront with the utmost oomph.

When we spoke with Jessie back in January, she told us that there were “a lot of naysayers in the beginning” following her joining the band, but, as the band close their time in Manchester with a thundering rendition of Primrose, we see numerous beaming faces. The future is bright and the sky is the limit for DREAM STATE.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:

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