LIVE REVIEW: The Plot In You @ Academy 2, Manchester

Summer is over, it’s a Monday night. A double whammy for those who like fun. However, to get over these blues, just under 1000 people are crammed into Academy 2 in Manchester for a night of metalcore goodness. Tonight’s entertainment is brought to us by Ohio outfit, THE PLOT IN YOU. The perfect concoction for blowing away those Monday blues. A line of moshers, metalheads and emos alike stretches down Oxford Road all clad in black ready for the night of frivolities that lay ahead. 

Up first was ACRES who have the forever difficult job of opening up the show for the night. An atmospheric opening set the tone to the already packed room and very swiftly, the band launched into their short set. The driving riffs were unforgiving as they blared out to the crowd who were all bobbing their heads in unison. Frontman Ben Lumber was in fine voice from the get go, although at times his mic seemed to be a little quiet with his voice often getting lost in the quiet parts of the songs. Declaring to the crowd “it’s time to wake the fuck up!”, they launched into the second song of their sonic bombardment. There weren’t any pits yet, but the audience’s attention was more drawn toward the band. Eventually, the crowd started to get a bit more rowdier after Lumber demanded they start crowd surfing, which was met with cheers each time someone went up, adding a bit of humour to the show. Overall, it was a solid set by ACRES who ended on a brave note by performing a brand new song to us. They set the tone for the night perfectly. 

Rating: 7/10 

Following ACRES were fellow metalcore band, INVENT ANIMATE. After some meditative music, it was time for them to take the stage. The excitement for these was much more palpable amongst the crowd. The compact room was noticeably busier and INVENT ANIMATE really upped the ante once they started playing. Within seconds, a mosh pit was in full flow as a maelstrom of sweaty moshers were hurling themselves into each other. The band themselves were much more polished and crisper with their sound and didn’t miss a beat at any point. Frontman Marcus Vik was able to interweave clean and harsh vocals perfectly. Each song hit just as hard as the other and seeing how much energy they brought to the stage was very impressive to say the least. They did their job perfectly and had the audience eating out of their hands, screaming along to every word and moshing to every beat. 

Rating: 8/10

After a rousing singalong of JOHN DENVER’s Country Roads, it was time for THE PLOT IN YOU to finally take to the stage. Taking to the stage in a whirlwind of pulsating synths, THE PLOT IN YOU launched full throttle into what was one hell of a set. Opening track Don’t Look Away does a fine job of whipping the crowd up into a frenzy. Divide and All That I Can Give quickly follow suit which are bet with the same amount of eagerness amongst the crowd. The band are several dates into this tour now and you can’t help but commend them at the ferocity they play at is genuinely impressive. Landon Tewers’ voice was in fine fettle as his lyrics belted back at him just as loud by the crowd. Whilst the size of venue is excellent for a metalcore show such as this, it’s clear that THE PLOT IN YOU are aiming high as their music would easily fit right in at a huge arena. 

Wasting no time whatsoever, THE PLOT IN YOU absolutely fly through their set at breakneck speed. Impressively, the audience matched the bands energy throughout which was an impressive site to behold. Tewers’ sound and presence was very similar to that of the late Chester Bennington. His screams and clean vocals are effortless and could easily fit into some of the earlier songs of LINKIN PARK. Tracks like Crows and Paradigm are met with enthusiastic reactions amongst the crowd who have very little respite throughout the show. Even the slower songs eventually morph into some form of metalcore chaos. 

The best moment of the night belonged to the track Been Here Before, one of the band’s newer tracks as it gained the best reaction of the night. Somehow the crowd outdid themselves vocally and in the mosh pits, it was a goosebumps inducing moment and a beautiful sight to behold. As we got toward the end of the set, we were greeted with anthems such as Forgotten, Closure and Time Changes Everything. We were even treated to a small encore which gave the crowd one last moment to let loose to tracks Disposable Fix and Feel Nothing which brought the proceedings to a very satisfying close. 

Overall, it was an impressive show. THE PLOT IN YOU are like a well oiled machine. Everything about them is smooth and to the point. Musically they were excellent too. It was loud and you could feel every note that was played reverberate throughout your body. The crowd was (in true Manchester style) well natured despite the aggressiveness of the music on display, everyone in the crowd looked like they had an absolute blast. The bands reaction seemed genuine when lauding the crowd telling us how much they enjoyed themselves, a far cry better to the last time they played in the city, where they left after four songs due to the crowd hating them. We can’t wait to have them back. 

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from El Dawson here: 

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