LIVE REVIEW: Rolo Tomassi @ Club Academy, Manchester

Given the sheer wealth that populates the UK heavy music scene as of late, you’d be forgiven for assuming that ROLO TOMASSI were yet another name to burst through and capitalise on the soaring momentum. However, the Sheffield natives’ story stretches back much further than that as over the course of an intense 17 year career, the quintet’s admirable DIY work ethic and glistening and expansive back catalogue cements their position as one of the UK’s flagship names. Now, as the world awakens from the pandemic-enforced slumber, armed with new opus Where Myth Becomes Memory, the band take to the road to solidify their position once more, flanked by two of the hottest emerging talents in PUPIL SLICER and HERIOT.

The excitement surrounding HERIOT is palpable as a healthy number of bodies cram into the small confines of Manchester’s Club Academy to bare witness to the this Birmingham-based band and make no mistake, live, HERIOT are on scorching form. The riffs are hefty and full of malice as opener Coalescence roars the set into life as the band ignite sheer chaos before subsiding into alluring atmospherics that keep the crowd firmly fixated towards the stage. Jake Packer intertwines his barks with Debbie Gough‘s piercing screams to wonderful effect whilst Erhan Alman and Julian Gage are as animated as they are precise in providing the aural bombardment. With a tight and calculated performance showcasing much of their highly anticipated debut EP, Profound Morality, the hype towards HERIOT is only going to enhance and judging on this performance, it is so well deserved.

Rating: 9/10

If HERIOT are a precise lumbering beast of brutality, well, PUPIL SLICER are just unhinged. Their amalgamation of mathcore, grindcore and ambience is ferocious enough on record, but live, it is nothing short of earth-shattering. The chaos is simply frenetic as the riffs dance and contort from squealing pinches to skull-crushing down-tempo passages, with new single Thermal Runaway being a clear set highlight, and Katie Davis is utterly mesmerising as she guides the mayhem with exquisite composure, ensuring that each and every lyric is heard above the musical maelstrom. With little respite from opener Martyrs through to finale Wounds Upon My Skin, PUPIL SLICER are the real deal and have rewarded the faith set upon them when they erupted the scene last year with Mirrors.

Rating: 9/10

With the bar set so immensely high from two of the UK’s most exciting prospects, other bands would wilt under the light and succumb to the pressure but ROLO TOMASSI are not like other bands. With sublime studio output and a fierce live reputation maintained over their course of their career, they arrive in Manchester in good stead and what follows is one of the best bands to grace our scene showcasing just why they are so respected and cherished.

In a performance comprised solely of material from their last two records (Where Myth Becomes Memory and Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It), to put it simply ROLO TOMASSI are stunning. Set opener Cloaked is thunderous in its delivery as gargantuan riffs from Chris Cayford and bassist Nathan Fairweather wash over the crowd ever so effortlessly whilst the subtleties of James Spence‘s keyboards and synthesizers more than hold their own in the mix. At the heart of their beating sound is Eva Korman who expertly dispatches her fantastic range of scream and angelic cleans to stunning effect.

As the set unfolds, the complexity and expansiveness of ROLO TOMASSI‘s soundscape really enforces just how special this band are. The likes of Labyrinthine and Drip shows the band at their most volatile as the band’s hulking sound pummel those who dare stand in its way whilst the likes of Closer and Aftermath shimmer with aural fragility and the way in which the band dispatch these numbers feels like a warm and reassuring embrace. From start to finish, ROLO TOMASSI maintain a gripping, inviting and exhilarating experience and one in which is nothing short of perfection. There is quite simply no one else like them.

Rating: 10/10

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