Manchester, Co-op Live, 17/06/25
For the last three years, Nine Inch Nails have been hibernating. It’s something the industrial rock pioneers have a penchant for, a regular disappearing act that sees them slipping back into the shadows to conjure up their next musical venture. Of course, morsels of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ work have emerged here and there; 2024 saw them penning two lust-fuelled film scores, capturing ‘Challenger’s intense, thumping hunger in a whirl of electronica before indulging in organic tones for the curiously tender yearning of ‘Queer’. But the mystery remains – what does the future hold for the formidable Nine Inch Nails?
Tonight, fans are hoping that the ‘Peel It Back’ tour will allow a peek behind the curtains. While no new tracks have been released since 2020’s pair of ambient ‘Ghost V’ and ‘VI’ records, there’s a sense that this tour could reveal the direction the band are heading in – and everyone is keen to get a sense of what NIN are cooking up.
That’s how thousands find themselves gathered at Manchester’s Co-op Live, coming down early to sink into the thick electronic haze of German-Iraqi DJ Boys Noize. As the DJ’s techno and house beats fills the air, there’s also an elephant in the room – or, rather, a massive black box. It stands in the centre of the arena, a void with plumes of smoke occasionally billowing out the top. As punters murmur and ponder what the box is concealing, Boys Noize continues to run through his immersive set.
Eventually, the mystery is revealed. At the exact second Boys Noize closes off his final track, the box walls drop – and there sits Trent Reznor himself, poised at his piano, instantly kicking into the poignant ‘A Minute To Breathe’. It’s a move that flips the conventions of a live show on its head; not only does Reznor start with a “goodbye”, but it’s also utterly at odds with the typical fanfare one might associate with a grand rockstar entrance. There’s no swaggering out onstage, no bravado – just delicate keys and vocals echoing round a silent arena.
As the performance draws to its end, that’s when the crowd finally lets loose. The applause cracks through the tension, breaking the spell and giving Reznor the welcome he deserves – and it proves that Nine Inch Nails can still make an entrance like nobody else. Reznor humbly takes in the praise, still not addressing the masses – before diving into ‘That’s What I Get’, a ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ cut that hasn’t seen the light of day since the ‘90s.
As Ross and co. join Reznor on the small B-stage, it becomes clear that the track, as well as following cut ‘The Fragile’, has had a makeover. Both are delivered with an added layer of intensity, synthetics revitalised, and pacing shifted to really hammer the emotion home. It’s a dose of the familiar in an unfamiliar packaging, breathing new life into songs thousands hold near and dear. And it’s yet another reminder that Nine Inch Nails never play by the rules, constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of their own sound.
Eventually, the gang make their way to the main stage, revealing the symbolism of the ‘Peel It Back’ tour name. The stage is surrounded by layers of thin curtains, with lights flickering on and off to reveal the band through the veil. While Reznor can be seen rampaging his way through cuts like ‘Wish’ and the menacing, moshpit-hungry fury of ‘March of the Pigs’, the veiled surroundings and pulsating lights seem to transform him at every turn.
At times Reznor is a phantom, sickeningly pale and far-removed, while other times harsh spotlights and shadows leave him disfigure and distorted. ‘Copy of A’ amps up the uncanny, disorienting aura of the performance, an array of Reznors cast up onto the curtains, each projection playing out at a slight delay. And ‘Gave Up’ seems to entirely transform the mood again, thick, neon red lighting drenching the room in a club atmosphere as the crowd eagerly dances along.
Soon, Reznor and Atticus return to the central B-stage – and Boys Noize joins them. Again, Nine Inch Nails are keen to give old tunes a fresh twist, and the DJ is the perfect companion to submerge the likes of ‘Vessel’ and ‘Came Back Haunted’ into a dense, techno realm. The string of remixes turn Co-op Live into a rave, the pulse of drums intoxicating as the arena floor becomes a sweaty, smoky dancefloor.
When the main stage comes back into play, the curtains have been fully ‘peeled’ back. And the final leg feels equally as revealing, Reznor knocking out raw and emotionally charged cuts like ‘Somewhat Damaged’ alongside the blasphemous, thrumming nihilism of ‘Heresy’.
As the set nears its end, Nine Inch Nails work fans into a frenzy with ‘The Perfect Drug’ and the screech-along anthem ‘Head Like A Hole’ – before entirely pulling the rug from underneath us. ‘Hurt’ marks the grand finale, its sombre, introspective pain sinking the crowd back into the stunned silence it had been in at the very beginning of the set.
It’s a full-circle moment – a sign of how easily Reznor is able to manipulate and control the crowd, charging them with furious, animalistic energy as he wails, howls and wiggles his hips from side to side, before stripping it all back to the core. The previously stunning, dazzling light show also strips back to basics, and, as the room croons along with a curious “what have I become?”, the full weight of the track is tangible. Together, the arena relishes in the emotional outpouring of Reznor, no curtain to mask his pain, soul bared for all to see. It’s fair to say that Nine Inch Nails are still one of the strongest acts in the game – and we can’t wait to see what else this new era has to offer.
Content shared from rocksound.tv.