While She Sleeps at the O2 Academy, Leeds.

By Christina Sylvester.

On a rather rainy, chilly evening of December 12, 2024, the O2 Academy Leeds hosted While She Sleeps who delivered a performance that was both rowdy and at points, emotional. Supported by Resolve, Thrown, and Currents in that order, the Sheffield-based metalcore kings proved once again why they are among the genre’s most revered live acts alongside the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Malevolence. Whilst every band left their mark on the night, it was While She Sleeps’ headline set that truly etched itself into the memory of everyone in attendance.

Resolve

The night began with Resolve, the Lyon-based quartet who have steadily gained traction since their inception in 2017. Performing a set heavily anchored in their 2023 album, Human, the band delivered a mix of emotional lyricism and unrelenting intensity. They opened with "Human", "Bloodlust", and "Death Awaits" – with the latter two sending lead singer Anthony Diliberto into a flying frenzy, with his feet very rarely being on the ground. That level of energy and ferocity set the tone for the evening, and Resolve’s blend of intense bridges and crushing breakdown primed the audience for a chaotic set of bands to follow. 

Thrown

Thrown had a rather quiet and subtle entrance onto stage. The Swedes are always rather no frills, but the crash that they brought into the room as they started their set certainly had us fooled. In mere seconds, lead vocalist Marcus Lundqvist erupted fierce energy into their signature harsh vocals. The set has its moments of sensory deprivation amidst the chaos in the pit, as the band are very dimly lit to contrast with the intense volume at which they play. This Swedish-based band hit the audience with everything but in a completely different way to Resolve before them, as this set sparked the dawn of crowd surfers for Leeds security staff. As the second opening act of the night, and despite being a relatively new band, Thrown played like they’d been around for absolutely years. The set was tight and they’ve certainly won over new fans throughout the tour. 

Currents

Currents hit the stage as the night's third act giving a show a somewhat more emotional edge. The Americans presented a bit of a contract to the other bands in the bill during the early portion of their set, but rallied to continue the stream of crowd surfers and elevate the night's energy. The Connecticut-based band showed why they're now a key player in today's metalcore world. Their set mixed crowd-pleasing anthems with songs from their new album "The Death We Seek", with lead singer Brian Wille's voice ranging from ear-splitting screams to heartfelt melodies cutting through the wall of sound to create something raw yet polished. It was our first time actually witnessing them perform in person, and it was fascinating to see fans yell lyrics back and dive the o2 Academy into wild, swirling pits already. The switch between melodic openers to harsh vocals kept us on our toes – what an ideal warm-up for While She Sleeps!

While She Sleeps

From the moment While She Sleeps hit the stage, the O2 Academy transformed into a seething mass of movement, passion, and unrelenting energy. The stress this put on the security via crowd surfing, honestly put photographers three songs in the pit in doubt, but perseverance won the night. The Sheffield gang have never not had a connection with the live crowd, but the way that bond has strengthened in the post-Covid & post-Ally Pally headline has just made it ironclad. Shows like this tour are the reason people bought tickets to Parkway Drive’s 2022 tour. Not to discredit the Aussies, but Sleeps were a bumper feature of that bill.

Loz Taylor has truly come into his own in the last few album cycles as well, he arrives in almost all places like a boyband leader but then when the music starts, he becomes feral, and at times a bit giddy.

A pit forms almost instantaneously and the immediate energy of a Sleeps show almost distracts from the fact that the attention to detail in their set design is staggering. Sean Long and Matt Walsh have class on the strings but also showboat with UV-lit guitars, bassist Aaran McKenzie honestly feels like the heart and soul of the band at times, riling the crowd up in bursts but then also being broodingly intense when he takes a backseat at times in the formation they play on stage. 

It wouldn’t be a Leeds show, or a Sleeps show for that matter without “Yorkshire!” chants, which echoed all around the venue at almost every pause, Sleeps took this in stride but then when Loz at one point dropped a “Ta very much” in his broadest accent, it’s genuine comedy.  At one point – “We’ve performed all over Europe on this tour, but tonight is a special show” rhythm guitarist Mat Welsh declares. 

One of the real graces of their set is the reliability of their back catalogue, as the energy spiked again during ‘Four Walls’ which is just now passing 10 years old. Loz calls for fans to climb onto each other’s shoulders, transforming the sea of bodies and a wave of arms and voices. However, newer material really peaks the night’s momentum during ‘Down’ when Brian Wille of Currents joins the stage in place of Alex from Malevolence, for a hell of a feature. Crowds erupted into circle pits and crowd surfers yet again - of the vocalists available to fill that slot, the Currents man was certainly the one for the job.

Before launching into "Silence Speaks," Loz and Mat paused to share a heartfelt story of the band’s origins. Quitting their jobs, moving into a barn, and dedicating themselves entirely to creating You Are We which “changed their lives forever”. For a lot of fans, this was THE album for them. The moment resonated deeply with the crowd, it’s a startling reminder that Sleeps risk a lot in what they sacrificed and the determination behind their success. The effort from the crowd to sing along to the normally Oli Sykes featuring track is nothing short of deafening, a perfect encapsulation of the mutual respect and love between the band and audience.

Final track honours have gone to ‘Sleeps Society’ on this run, and the chaos reaches its peak, and circle pits surged multiple times like whirlpools across the room. The visceral energy in the venue becomes a living testament to While She Sleeps’ unmatched ability to create moments of unbridled connection and catharsis, leaving Leeds buzzing with the afterglow of an unforgettable night.