London, The O2 Arena, 29/11/24
Though our time in this world is finite, the impression that we leave is anything but. The moment you no longer fear death or see it as the end, the sooner you can focus on making your existence and what it represents timeless. It’s a big ask, with allowance for a lot of soul searching in the process, but to find peace in the chaos and then attempt to share that peace with others, there is no greater voyage to take on.
It feels like the last five years of Sleep Token’s career have been leading towards that clarity. It’s just by chance that, at the same time, they have become one of metal’s most formidable, divisive and wonderfully fresh assets. Though it was always written in the stars that they were destined for big things, to find themselves in the gargantuan surroundings of The O2, the first of two rituals taking place here as part of a grand old tour around the UK and Europe, a year on from their last statement showing at Wembley Arena is still very much the sort of growth that only occurs once in a generation.
Yet, it feels fitting that it is such a fantastical band that has captured so many different imaginations. And in taking such a huge step, they are using these events as a chance to celebrate a chapter that has given them so much.
But first, something completely different. Having their first shows ever in the UK be on some of the biggest stages it offers would send cold shivers up many a band’s spine, but for Bilmuri, it is a blessing. Johnny Franck’s eclectic, vivacious and beautifully vulnerable take on alternative music feels even more spellbinding because of them being pushed in at the deep end, and the likes of ‘EMPTY HANDED’ and ‘FLUORIDEINTHEHARDSELTZERWATER’ showcase just how far and wide their tastes stretch. By the time a vulnerable ‘STRAIGHT THROUGH YOU’ and crisp ‘BETTER HELL’ round things out, there is a smile on the face of every single person in this arena, and that’s a real special superpower to possess.
Ever since their first rituals back in 2017 – small, solemn and spine-tingling – experiencing Sleep Token has been about more than just the music. It has been about creating a feeling, about ensnaring every sense and delivering something that is as impossible to look away from as much as it is to remove from your head and heart. And when given so much more space to give that feeling so many more limbs, they have taken the opportunity with aplomb. From the neon blue that flitters across the stage as Vessel approaches his lectern and opens proceedings with a haunting ‘The Night Does Not Belong To God’ to the hues of purple during a reflective ‘Dark Signs’ and red that accompany a crushing ‘Higher’, every single second of their time in the spotlight has been considered and calculated, leaving you even more captivated by the band’s eccentric control of harmony and heaviness.
This also comes into play in how the band darts around the stage, wholly lost in their conjured rhythm. From the way that iii and iv bounce off each other, egging each other on to go even harder, to how Vessel dances like nobody is watching, there is a sense of pure euphoria within the ranks. A total adoration of the art that they have created, so much so that they simply cannot keep still whilst delivering it. Where before worship would be the aim of these shows, now it is expression and complete abandonment of utilising the energy that they have been granted.
The evening’s running order is split into three sections, each one representing one of the band’s three albums. Though rather than this simply being an Eras tour-esque run-through of the biggest and brightest moments from each, the song selections feel just as carefully choreographed as every other aspect of the set. 2019’s ‘Sundowning’ is presented with a hint of chaos, with ‘The Offering’ blowing any remnants of cobwebs away with anarchic heft, whilst the aforementioned ‘Dark Signs’ and ‘Higher’ turn the floor into a hellscape with no less than four circle pits ripping and tearing at each other. 2021’s ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’ is showcased in a more hedonistic light, with ‘Hypnosis’ and ‘Like That’ feeling even steamier than they usually do and ‘Alkaline’ seeing the band revelling in the debauched carnage they are conjuring. And 2023’s ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ focuses on the limitlessly grandiose, as a pummelling ‘The Summoning’ deservedly receives the biggest singalong of the night, ‘Granite’ deals out plenty of heartfelt home truths and ‘Ascensionism’ looks to trigger every tear duct it can reach.
It’s a fascinating way to present a show, showcasing everything that makes Sleep Token brilliant and demonstrating just how far they have travelled in such a short amount of time. Yet, it shows more of the essence of why the band exists. Though this project on the surface is otherworldly, it is also profoundly human. To love, to hate, to feel, to fear, to live, to die. These are all things that we all experience – both positively and negatively – and that we all have only really scratched the surface of truly understanding. And in presenting every facet of that throughout this performance, Sleep Token have attempted to bottle what it feels like to exist freely, not worrying about what may come next and instead using the idea of infinity, of the things we are made up of living forever in spirit, to our advantage. And as the end draws in with an utterly spectacular ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ and gorgeously affecting ‘Euclid’, which leaves Vessel in floods of tears, they have succeeded and then some.
To leave a mark is one of the highest honours we can have with our time. The fact that Sleep Token does that every single time they take to the stage is nothing short of wondrous. To have a band that can captivate so many in so many ways and have every step they take to feel as life-affirming as it does life-changing is not to be taken for granted and should be celebrated for as long as possible. With a headline slot at Download now their next big moment to conquer, there is no knowing what is up those sleeves as a way will be up to top this. But one thing is sure, it must be seen to be believed.
Sleep Token are among the winners of our Rock Sound 25 Icon Award as we celebrate our 25th anniversary.
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