LIVE REVIEW: The Ghost Inside @ Beckett Students’ Union, Leeds
Festival season has all but drawn to a close but that certainly doesn’t mean that the gig calendar is going to dry up any time soon. If anything it’s as rampant as it’s ever been. 2024 seems to really be the year where everyone has come out to play and we at Distorted Sound are here for it! You also very rarely find a lineup which isn’t stacked from front to back and this triple-pronged assault is no different. After already blazing a trail through America and Australia in support of most recent effort Searching For Solace, it was time for the UK to get a welcome dose of THE GHOST INSIDE.
Unfortunately for BOUNDARIES the queue still spanned halfway down the road when they hit the stage, resulting in them performing to half an audience for their opening tracks. Undeterred, the quintet powered through cuts from March’s Death Is Little More release. Bassist Nathan Calcagno took little time in demanding movement and participation, when you open a set with a combination as bludgeoning as A Pale Light Lingers and Darkness Shared it takes little convincing people to succumb to the chaos. The crushing drum sequences intertwined with dissonant riffing were the perfect arsenal for a live setting, but what we equally as impressive was the light elements piercing through the dense heaviness. The chorus segment of Easily Erased provided an impressive pocket of vibrancy to showcase what BOUNDARIES are capable of at both ends of the spectrum. By the time they had departed the beers were flowing and the crowd were suitably warmed up for some Alabama cowboy carnage.
Rating: 7/10
For anyone new to the unrelenting ferocity of GIDEON, the imposing figure of frontman Daniel McWhorter was enough to give the crowd a swift indication of what was to follow. Opener BITE DOWN is the musical equivalent of a wrecking ball barrelling down your ear canal. After sadly missing out on the Glasgow date the night previous due to travel issues, the burly quartet came out all guns blazing, making up for lost time with a slab of destruction in the form of the earth-shattering tracks from 2023’s MORE POWER. MORE PAIN.. The bounce was officially injected into the pit with a sizeable section of the room letting off some steam. Whether it was stomping a hole in the stage or slinging out some wildly addictive hardcore, GIDEON had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Whilst mainly focusing on their most recent material for the bulk of the set they also slipped the iconic one-two of Cursed and No Love/No One as a parting shot to leave a lasting impression.
Rating: 8/10
No disrespect to the mighty duo of supports but it became immediately evident that the vast majority of the crowd were here predominantly for the main attraction. Opening with the spine tingling screams of Death Grip sent shockwaves through the Beckett Students’ Union. THE GHOST INSIDE had the crowd shifting within a matter of moments and rarely took their foot off the pedal. After everything he has endured it was a truly joyous spectacle to witness drummer Andrew Tkaczyk smash his way through every track in his path.
When bands chop and change between different albums throughout their live performances it’s usually a good indication of where the crowd preferences lie, not this time. They lapped up every second. Frontman Jonathan Vigil only had to merely hint at playing some deeper cuts and everyone collectively lost their minds. From 2008’s Faith Or Forgiveness to a meaty chunk of 2014’s Dear Youth album, there was an endless supply of singalongs and participation which had the band grinning from ear to ear in what felt like quite an emotional affair.
Periodically pausing through their set to take stock of just how far they’ve come, it was a pleasure and a privilege to witness a band who have given so much to the world of music and see the enthusiasm reciprocated right back. Their 18 track highlight reel flew by in what felt like the blink of an eye. With how well the newer material from Searching For Solace was received we can only hope that this gives THE GHOST INSIDE the motivation and drive to continue to grace our venues for many years to come.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Leeds from Rhys Haberfield Media here:
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