LIVE REVIEW: Parkway Drive @ International Arena, Cardiff

The Motorpoint Arena is dead, long live the Cardiff International Arena. Reverting back to the name it’s held whenever there isn’t a sponsor, the octagonal shaped venue in the Welsh capital might be on borrowed time with the future building of a bigger arena on the waterfront at Atlantic Wharf, but for now it remains the go-to for the big tours around the UK and this one is no exception. Arguably the metal tour of the year on these shores, featuring PARKWAY DRIVE, WHILE SHE SLEEPS and LORNA SHORE, it’s also the last night of the run, which adds a little bit more to the occasion.

There’s a healthy attendance for LORNA SHORE‘s opening set, which stands to reason given they’re one of 2022’s hottest commodities. Much of this is down to Will Ramos‘ exceptional skills as a frontman and vocalist, immediately calling for the pit to open and having it immediately happen; the band haven’t even begun opening track To The Hellfire… at this point. The sound is against them, being quite muddy at points, but the band’s abundance of energy and the big reception they receive after every track pushes them through, with Cursed To Die seeing the first of many crowdsurfers topple over the barrier. There’s a lot of hype around them, and new album Pain Remains has a lot of expectation, but when they’re performing as well as this, it’s justified.

Rating: 8/10

With WHILE SHE SLEEPS dropping the announcement that they will be headlining Alexandra Palace in September of next year, they’ve got a point to prove: namely that, despite their status as main support, they’ve got the presence and the power to play these sorts of venues outright. By the time they come offstage, there’s no doubt in anyone’s minds that they can. SLEEPS SOCIETY has an already fired up crowd whipped into a frenzy in next to no time, whilst the material from SO WHAT? – arguably the band’s weakest record – goes incredibly hard live, especially a jaw-dropping bludgeon through THE GUILTY PARTY. The ego ramp at the front of the stage makes frontman Loz Taylor look ten feet tall, a giant shape that jumps onto the front rows for I’VE SEEN IT ALL…although not without consequence. “Whoever decided to try and stick their middle finger up my arse, I hope you have a dogshit Christmas!” bellows Taylor as EYE TO EYE sees multiple circle pits open up and Silence Speaks bring over even more crowdsurfers. The question now isn’t whether WHILE SHE SLEEPS can headline arenas; it’s why they haven’t done so sooner.

Rating: 9/10

Despite overwhelmingly positive views from the media, it’s fair to say that PARKWAY DRIVE‘s latest record, Darker Still, has proved divisive among fans; you wouldn’t know it from the bedlam that ensues when they arrive on stage, though. Flanked by the same torch-wielding druids that accompanied them through the crowd on their Reverence run in 2019, the strains of lead single Glitch flow through the speakers as the band take their positions before Winston McCall seemingly jumps out of the stage, appearing behind an explosion of pyro to conduct his followers from the ego ramp, giant plumes of flame erupting around him.

Bemoan their material all you want, but for the next hour and a half, PARKWAY DRIVE once again show why they’re one of the most fearsome live bands on Planet Earth. Prey has fast become one of their biggest hits, an entire floor of people jumping in time with the chorus and the singalong that greets Vice Grip is nothing short of biblical. There’s a definite dip in momentum when Ground Zero is played – the call of “drop the beat!” isn’t any less cringey – but The Void brings everything back up with a comprehensive lesson in wearing earplugs; that pyro is LOUD. Shadow Boxing sees a return of the live string quartet and the title track to Darker Still has guitarist Jeff Ling on a hydraulic riser for his solo, a wonderful moment. An encore of Crushed – featuring more fire than the bowels of Hell – and Wild Eyes brings a triumphant set to a close, everyone wishing PARKWAY DRIVE could play for another hour or more. If they’re not headlining Download Festival in the next three years, it’ll be a travesty.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Cardiff from Cariad Myer Photography here: 

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