Absolva/40,000 Leagues/Wailing Banshee -
Manchester Academy, Saturday 20th December, 2025
Setlist: Fight to Be Free/Lord of the Flies/Tempest/Wild Child/Under the Sun/All Guns Blazing/The Oracle.
Tonight's openers, Wailing Banshee are made up Dani Bentham (Vocals), Al McKenzie (Guitar), Harry Darbyshire (Guitar), Richie Parkhouse (Bass) & Sean Murphy (Drums).
It happens every once in a while when a band comes on and totally blows me away. The Singer, Dani was simply mesmerizing. The stage presence and her voice just totally grabbed my attention from the start.
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The vocals were incredible, but the real magic was the band's connection. Watching Harry and Richie go head-to-head on guitar while the rhythm section rattled my ribcage was an experience.
The crowd was transfixed; you could tell we were watching a band at their peak, totally in tune with one another. It was a masterclass in metal. They definitely gained a new fan tonight and judging by the crowd’s reaction, I wasn't the only one. A Fantastic set.
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Setlist: Reaper/The Architect/Ain't Nobody/The Dragon Will Rise/From The Sky.
When the first band played metal, 40,000 Leagues played some seriously heavy metal! They consist of Nathan 'Nips' Crossdale (Vocals), Joe Leonard (Lead Guitar), Harry Hulme (Rhythm Guitar), Rick Wiltshire (Bass) & Paul Beesley (Drums).
From the first song, 'Reaper', you could see we were in for a ride. The air in the venue pulsed as the heavy bass from Rick reverberated through the floor. Standing at the edge of the stage, Nathan commanded the room; his melodic vocals were crystal clear, yet his screams remained sharp and controlled.
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Flanking him, the guitarists leaned into a series of massive, crushing riffs that perfectly complemented the weight of the performance. Driving it all home was Paul, whose drumming provided an excellent, heavy backbone that kept the energy high.
You couldn't get a more different band then Wailing Banshee. The set was as hard as was excellent. The highlight was the cover 'Ain't Nobody' where Nathan walked into the audience singing and dancing with people. The crowd loved it. Great set and a perfect way to get the crowd hyped for Absolva.
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Setlist: Freedom and Glory/The Thrill of the Chase/Atlas/Find My Identity/Side by Side/Stand Your Ground/Justice/Fire in the Sky/Against the Odds of Time/The City Is Burning/Never Back Down
Code Red/Mama, I'm Coming Home (Ozzy Osbourne cover)/Refuse to Die/From Beyond the Light
Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath cover).
Absolva is the Blaze Bayley band minus Blaze Bayley have a line-up of Chris Appleton (Vocals/Guitar), Tom Atkinson (Guitar), Luke Appleton (Bass) & Martin McNee (Drums)!
So the singing falls on the shoulders of Chris Appleton. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from my first time hearing Chris sing, but his voice blew me away. He possesses an incredible amount of depth and power, delivering every lyric with a sense of gravitas that is rare to see from someone simultaneously handling guitar duties.
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The chemistry on stage was just as captivating; Chris and Tom Atkinson shared a visible connection, marked by constant smiles and an obvious mutual respect.
Meanwhile, Luke, Chris’s Brother, commanded the Bass with the energy of a lead guitarist, shouting and gesticulating to the crowd while playing his bass fast and hard. Despite the heavy, driving pace kept by Martin McNee on the drums, the music remained strikingly melodic, ensuring that every word Chris sang was perfectly understood.
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The crowd were loving it. Head banging and singing along. Such a great display and performance from Absolva. With the addition of Santa Clause mid set, he had been giving out gifts of FURY-UK and Absolva live DVDs with a group photo of the lads. A nice touch from the band.
Towards the end they sang two covers, 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' (Ozzy Osbourne), dedicated to the Appleton's Grandad who passed away at a very impressive 100 years old. Very touching, and Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath) finished a fantastic set, such an incredible performance.
By Dale Holford