Leprous + Supports

Port Noir
Two massive stage light displays immediately caught the eyes of interested punters as they entered Manchester Academy 2 from the dreary rain on Saturday Night. These light boxes shouted PORT – NOIR, the opening band of the night, who brought an interesting blend of heavy alt-rock with pop leanings. This eye-brow raising amalgamation between Rage Against the Machine-inspired riffs and a generally hard-to-describe sound beyond simply hip-hop and electronica was displayed perfectly in Port Noir’s opener Young Bloods, which saw a little bit of movement from keen fans up the front and interested looks as others started make sense of their sound. Continuing to showcase their singles from their most recent full length, The New Routine, Flawless helped the crowd to get headbanging a little more before they dropped Blow, which is a track that just demands that the crowd dance.
By the time the crowd was met with the huge Bulls on Parade-esque riff of Old Fashioned many had no self-control and couldn’t help but headbang along, given short synthey reprieves and a chorus that makes you want to sing. Closing song 13 is one of the heavier tracks off this year’s full length, and thoroughly amped up the crowd for the next act to follow. Rock and roll has been in a death spiral for years now, losing the battle of popularity to hip hop and electronica, and Port Noir seem to be doing everything in their power to breathe one final breath of life into it. Here’s hoping they explode onto radio time in the near future; we all need it.

The Ocean
The Ocean (Collective) are a band that are larger than life, and with a proportionally huge reputation that precedes them. The German masters of progressive post-metal held nothing back and took no prisoners with their first song, Permian: The Great Dying, which is the colossal closer from their 2018 album Phanerozoic I. Swathes of crowd members singing along to the clean parts and trying their best to replicate Loic’s growl, it was difficult to avoid being pulled into the hooks on Permian. Moving back in time saw The Ocean played Mesopelagic from their 2013 release Pelagial. Another huge sing along for the diehard fans, intertwined with headbang-inducing thick chords over time signatures that require memorisation if you want to participate. Silurian was up next, providing possibly the catchiest hooks from The Ocean on the night, and showcasing Loic’s full vocal range.
Unfortunately, The Ocean’s next song Mesopelagic I saw the power cut out after only about 2 minutes or so. The band, visibly confused, wanted to brush it off and continue but did not have the go-ahead as two or three techies ran on stage. The delay in reestablishing power was disappointingly extended, while most of The Ocean walked off stage and patrons feared they’d heard the last note from their marine overlords. Luckily for all, power was restored, and The Ocean had enough time for one last absolute banger – Devonian: Nascent. Jonas Renkse’s presence was more than a long shot from devout fans, but Loic’s clean vocals more than made up for the absence of Katatonia’s iconic vocalist. The Ocean finished their troubled set on a huge metaphorical note, being deafeningly cheered off the stage by a crowd heartbroken that they couldn’t hear more.

Leprous
Headlining the night were the Norwegian progressive powerhouse Leprous. Considering they’ve managed to release 6 full lengths across 10 years, which is approximately one every 2 years, they’ve certainly worked hard to earn that powerhouse status. Their 2017 release, Malina, found them acclaim from critics and fans alike, with a daring move away from harsh vocals and a further push into their signature non-djenty syncopation sound. Leprous clearly did not want to rest on their laurels or find themselves stuck in a rut as they dared to venture even further with this year’s release Pitfalls. A controversial exploration of Einar Solberg’s vocal capabilities, some rusted-on metalhead fans would argue at the expense of instrumentality. Considering the deliberately heavy acts that preceded them, Leprous made a daring decision to open with their first single from this album cycle, Below, which kicked off the 2019 semi-unofficial Leprous Karaoke Party in Manchester. Flowing smoothly into I Lose Hope also kicked off the 2019 semi-unofficial Leprous Dance Party in Manchester as well, the second song from their 2019 release Pitfalls and immediate follow-up to Below. Seasoned veterans were then treated to The Vaaaa-aaa-aaaalley and From the Flame before Leprous covered more new material with Observe the Train and the cinematic Alleviate (again, total karaoke-fest in the crowd).
Leprous continued the theme of huge, cinematic songs with the monolith that builds with Salt before stripping it all back with the addictively minimal The Price, which reignited the dance party. Einar, who earlier in the night intimated that he was spending this year practising his banter with audiences, confessed that they weren’t going to fake an encore and simply flew into the next song, which brought arguably the best breakdown of the night in Mirage. However, Leprous weren’t done yet as they squeezed out their 12-minute epic The Sky is Red. The immense and immersive ending from The Sky is Red saw a very exhausted crowd leave the venue with a few post-coital faces of relief.
Leprous are thoroughly progressive metal royalty, and their performance solidified this reputation. Einar’s vocals are better than ever, Baard’s drumming is tight and fun, Robin and Tor’s guitar work is incredibly versitile – switching from delicate to bludgeoning at will, and Simen’s bass is nothing short of addictive funk. To top the night off, Raphael joined the band on stage with his cello, which helped achieve many of the aforementioned cinematic atmospheres. Leprous are a well-oiled machine, exuding professionalism and instilling a real sense of wonder and enjoyment in the crowd.