First up, Sirens in the Delta a young 5 piece band from Teesside. The band kick off with the grungy guitar laden “These Dogs”, a fantastic start and one of my faves out of their set with singer Katie’s vocals soaring all over the guitar work. The heavier “Profit” up next with the twin guitars and searing vocals make this a bit of a headbanger – great stuff.
The first track off 2015’s Revolutions to Follow album now with “Dirty Words”, a hook laden track with some great prog like guitar work. The punchy “Casus Belli” up next, Glen in the rear on drums very much in evidence on this track along with Katie on vocals. This is very much one of my top tracks on the album which shows off her vocals well. The band head through the rocky “Sub Rosa” and find the “Need to Bleed”, a bit like early Foo Fighters/Queens of The Stone Age with grungy, crunching guitars and hints of Skin (Skunk Anansie) in Katie’s voice – great track to hear live.
We work our way through the band’s “Sick List” next as we get to the last track of the night and the last track off the album, “Weapon”. This is another hook laden monster with Katie using “words as a weapon”, a great end to a short set. The band are well worth checking out. Musically they are very tight, varied and talented with a great front woman in Katie who has a incredible stage presence.
Setlist:
These Dogs
Profit
Dirty Words
Casus Belli
Sub Rosa
Need to Bleed
Sick List
Weapon
The headliners Forever Still up next all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band are on the road promoting the new Tied Down album released back in January.
They kick in with “Break the Glass” from said album and comparisons to Within Temptation immediately spring to mind with Maja’s soaring vocals and the bands swirling guitars/keyboards a fantastic start to their set. “We Awake the Fire” now with the band’s soaring style supporting the stunning voice of Maja as she states there is a “Fire awake in me” – and you can feel the heat from this band.
We head back to 2013 now with “The Last Day” from the Breaking Free EP, a heavier less polished track on the EP but which comes alive on stage. Heavy with more in-your-face vocals and crunching guitars. The band stick with the EP and head “Towards the Edge”, a softer soaring track which shows off Maja’s vocal range which can go from soft to screaming in a blink of an eye.
They then go it “Alone” from the album and you can see/hear the growth of the band from 2013’s EP, so much more positive and complete is the sound, a truly stunning and emotional track. The opening track from the Breaking Free EP next with “The Key”. The harder production on the EP does not do this track justice when they play it live. There are elements of Evanescence on this track – not a bad thing by any means and it has a real screamer of an ending.
They head through “I’m Out”, a heavy affair with Maja bouncing about screaming along with wailing guitars make this one of the heavier tracks of the night. All change now as we head back to the album now and get all “Tied Down” with the softer side of the band. A punchy intro as the band “Breathe In”, the album has a smooth current flowing through it with the band’s playing and the stunning vocals of Maja all combining to make the live versions so much more on stage. The band look to “Your Light” next and the Within Temptation/Evanescence similarities continue but with their spin on that certain style of power metal.
The light guitar intro introduces the single “Save Me” another heartbreaker of a track from the album, there are so many moods on the album that it has you happy & melancholy all at the same time. The band get all heavy again as they “Fight” before heading into “Once upon a Nightmare”, a broody melodic track as Maja takes you up and down in time with her vocals.
The band end an all too short set with the first track from the new album in the form of “Scars” which opens with a burst of guitars and as Maja’s vocals kick in you know that she and the band mean business as they finish the set. This is a powerhouse of a band with killer players and a singer with an amazing vocal range, this is a band who deserve to go all the way. I would recommend going to see them in the smaller venues while you can as I cannot see it being for long, given the class of tracks on their Tied Down album.
Setlist:
Break the Glass
Awake the Fire
The Last Day
Towards the Edge
Alone
The Key
I’m Out
Tied Down
Breathe in
Your Light
Save Me
Fight
Once upon a Nightmare
Scars
Words and photos by Gary Cooper. Full sets of both bands on Flickr: Forever Still / Sirens in the Delta
