LIVE REVIEW: Holding Absence @ O2 Ritz, Manchester

On a cold and drizzly night in Manchester, the hub of entertainment for the evening is at the O2 Ritz, just off Oxford Road. A nearly sold out show sees Welsh quartet; HOLDING ABSENCE continue their rapid ascent as one of the UK’s most exciting bands on the scene. In support of their excellent latest album; The Noble Art Of Self Destruction, we see a bustling crowd ready to sing and dance the night away to the band’s delightful blend of post-hardcore/emo anthems. 

Opening up the night’s frivolities were Florida-based horror themed metalcore band; DARK DIVINE. Very similar to that of ICE NINE KILLS, they brought a set full of energy. By no fault of their own though, it was perhaps the wrong crowd for them to be performing in front of, due to their credit though, they really made it work and even won over the crowd towards the end of their slot. Smashing out tracks such as Halloweentown and The Reaper showed they are a very slick unit live and these songs deserve to have hoards of sweaty people moshing about to them. It will be a very promising future for this band and it’s going to be great to see them at their own shows in the future in what will sure to be an exceptionally chaotic night. We eagerly anticipate that moment!

Rating: 7/10

The second support of the evening was brought to us by Aussie metal outfit; THORNHILL. They brought their delightful Australian charm, quickly winning the audience over with their soothing accents and getting them ready for the evening’s frivolities. Over the next half hour, the audience is bombarded by the band’s enormous groovy sounding riffs that drive their songs along at breakneck speed. What perhaps is most impressive about their performance was how tight the band sounded. They didn’t once miss a beat. Lead singer Jacob Charlton made the most of every second he had on stage, displaying his ever impressive vocals, switching from clean to harsh vocals at a moments notice without ever faltering. 

Despite only having two albums, it’s when they perform songs off their debut album; The Dark Pool, where the audience response is much more engaging. Whilst their newer songs from Heroine have a more cleaner cut and mainstream vibe to them, it’s their earlier tracks that save the band from falling into the trap of all their songs sounding the same. During the earlier tunes, the audience broke into small clusters of mosh pits across the venue and were met with rapturous applause when brought up by the band themselves, it was clear and obvious which songs they wanted to hear more. THORNHILL’s performance did waver ever so slightly when they moved onto slower songs which did see the audience lose attention, with that being the only criticism, they did a fine job of warming the crowd up for the evening. 

Rating: 7/10 

Shortly afterwards, it was time for HOLDING ABSENCE. Arriving on stage to an atmospheric orchestral piece playing which was the last moment of respite we were going to get for quite a while. The following hour went at breakneck speed, with the band barrelling through hit after hit to the delight of the audience. Their set relied heavily on songs from The Noble Art Of Self Destruction, launching into the show with opener; Head Prison Blues, whilst not the heaviest of songs they have to offer, gave the crowd a chance to join in with it’s anthemic feel to warm themselves up before the show could well and truly get going. Following on from Crooked Melody, the band launch into Gravity which well and truly gets the party started. Frontman Lucas Woodland orders the crowd to form a circle pit, which they do instantly and eagerly, setting the standard for the crowd throughout  the remainder of the show.

Upping the ante once more, Scissors is able to whip the crowd up into a frenzy. At the halfway point we are greeted with a slow and sumptuous chugging guitar. Instantly knowing what this signifies, the audience splits into two momentarily before launching back at one another in a chaotic and sweaty mass of bodies. One of the main highlights of the show comes in the form of an acoustic rendition of Like A Shadow. After going through their set at a blistering pace, this moment finally gives the audience a well deserved break and a moment for them to reflect. This doesn’t deter the audience whatsoever, still in fine fettle, they sing just as loud as they have done for the majority of the night. 

As we get to the back end of the set, we are treated to the excellent and incendiary penultimate track; Afterlife, which receives the loudest reception of the night. With one last chance to let loose, the intense energy continues to radiate from the audience singing as loudly as they could as HOLDING ABSENCE gives off one last sonic assault. The band then opt for a slower and more subtle ending to their show. Toning down the chaos, they finish the night on The Angel In The Marble which sees the night out in a slow yet anthemic way. It also produces a sweet and tender moment to finish on, with the audience embracing one another and letting the moment sink in. It’s incredibly clear just how passionate they are for this band and the feeling on stage is mutual. 

Whilst the show was a blast, it was clear that the band weren’t operating at the peak of their powers, which was fully understandable as they’d postponed several shows beforehand due to illness. This ultimately resulted in a shorter set that definitely would have benefitted from a few more heavier songs thrown in. However, this is just a momentary blip and seeing them next time at their full strength will surely be a special site to behold. 

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from K4tiephotogr4phy here: 

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