Gig Review: Uprising 2023 – O2 Academy, Leicester (29th April 2023)

It is always a special occasion, going to metal festivals, but going to Uprising for the first time is a real highlight of the festival year for me! I started the day as I always do – waiting for Shells, who characteristically runs late. I’ve not been to the O2 Academy in Leicester before and to find that it is part of the University is a really interesting setup. What that means to the local music scene and beyond, and how they can develop themselves must be invaluable. Many other places could learn from this.

(c) Sean Larkin

Moving on, we got set up and made our way to the second stage where the M2TM Leicester final was taking place. We caught the last two songs from Voidwalker, a progressive deathcore band who were deserved eventual winners, Loatch, a hardcore band, who for a bunch of schoolkids, packed a considerable amount of energy into their set, and Inflictions, a metalcore band that sadly didn’t quite measure up to their predecessors. There was a fourth band also in the final but by this time, we had found many familiar faces and missed their set. The sound on the second stage at this time was noticeably lacking. I found that the overall mix was muddy and the various elements were hard to distinguish. This did not detract too much from the sets we caught but for an O2 venue, regardless of where they are on the lineup, there should be more competency than what was coming through.

Next, after much catching up with people and a beer, we made our way to the main stage as Internal Conflict were about to start. At this time, Shells tells me that there is a three person limit in the tog pits. This meant queuing to get in and this did not sit well with any of the togs who were not amused. Once the band started, it was immediately apparent that the sound setup was much more professional on this stage. The sound for every single band on the main stage was nearly perfect – full marks to the hardworking and dedicated team working that stage! The band were immense and opened up the main stage with near perfection. The crowd was ready for them and they didn’t let us down. After a few interviews, I really wanted to catch Blood Oath again. I’ve seen them before and really loved their version of blackened thrash. Thrax and Fraser and the band really know their stuff and have more stage presence than ten Till Lindemanns. The second stage is erupting with sound and the room is packed out. Everyone knows the score with Blood Oath and they definitely don’t disappoint! The sound was noticeably better on the second stage too!

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Voidwalker (c) Sean Larkin

Uprising also managed to squeeze a 3rd stage in the hallway between the other two. As we were moving between stages, we caught a brief but impressive glimpse of MuddiBrooke. The sound on this stage was superb and the 3-piece band from Derby had a huge crowd, especially since Lowen were gracing the 2nd stage. I’d have liked to have seen more of their set but there will be another time.

Now, we’re about half way through the event  and one of the bands I really wanted to catch took to the main stage. Skarlett Riot are a band that have been around the scene for years and for good reason. Chloe is a masterful vocalist and has the crowd going almost instantly and the rest of the band are clearly up for it with beautiful and well-crafted riffs and smooth bass lines. Their brand of melodic metal was complemented perfectly by a very adept sound and stage crew, and to be quite honest, made for one of my favourite sets of the day.

Now there comes a time at every event where you take a second and realise that there is not too much longer left to go and the event is nearly over. Fortunately, this can be foiled with some of the best bands possible and the top end of Uprising’s lineup is no let-down. I found myself on the second stage to catch a few songs by Damim. They are a technical blackened thrash band that seem to pop up almost everywhere. They are one of the heaviest bands of the day and it felt like the roof was going to take off! The sound on the second stage was even better than before and the room was totally packed. If you’ve not seen them live before, go find out where they’re playing next and get yourself down! You will thank me.

Boss Keloid (c) Sean Larkin

Next up, I wanted to catch some Palm Reader. I saw them at Takedown Festival a few weeks prior and I found their performance a bit lacking. Having said that, they sounded like a different band here. The main stage was treated to a stunning set by the five-piece setup. I very nearly didn’t write about them, but as the two sets I’ve seen by them recently were so different, I thought it would be good form to do so. They were superb and fully deserving of their place on the lineup. They played an intense and brutal set, packed full of energy. They clearly brought a lot of people to the event and for good reason.

It’s getting dark now, and almost everyone is mildly inebriated so it was time to slow things down a bit and catch one of the stalwarts of the British stoner/sludge scene: Boss Keloid! I’ve been meaning to catch the band for years and having finally done so, I would fully recommend them to anyone interested. They had some of the deepest, most bowel-emptying riffs I’ve heard all day and although there aren’t many other similar bands on the lineup up until now, they have a huge crowd. The sound is near-perfect on the second stage now – maybe the person running the desk in the afternoon went home? I don’t know? What I do know is that if you like stoner or sludge metal, you need to start listening to Boss Keloid!

I’m not too sure why I’ve not heard of them as they are right up my alley and have a monstrous following online. Saor took to the stage and nearly broke it with the weight of their riffs. To find a Scottish band that is bigger than Dog Tired [Gun would like a word (up) – Ross] is no mean feat but their songs are nothing less than masterpieces and their stagecraft is superb. It’s relatively difficult to classify what sub-genre they are but to me, they span black metal, folk metal and the avantgarde scenes. Regardless of how you classify them, they deservedly owned their main support slot! I will be keeping a close eye on them, moving forward.

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Things are really hotting up now and it was time to catch Combichrist headline the second stage. I will preface this part of the review by saying that they performed an electronic set and that sort of thing is generally not my jam. However, upon entering the room, I could barely move! It was absolutely rammed! After about 3 minutes of listening to them, I could see what the fuss was about, but at that very same moment, the sound desk died! Silence! Cheering! Banter! Then it was back up and the set continued. It was truly an honour to witness a band such as this play what is essentially a grassroots event. Well done Uprising! Other than the death and resurrection of the sound desk, the sound was practically perfect. If you’re a fan of The Prodigy or Pendulum, this band is for you!

Hawxx (c) Sean Larkin

Now, like the majority of the press team at this time of the day, I’m running on empty but there is one last band to see. It’s the main event and what a band to get! Uprising have only managed to land the godfathers of doom and gothic metal, Paradise Lost. A band that needs very little introduction unless you’ve been living in a hole for the last 20 years, practically floated out to headline the O2 Academy. The room is packed, the balcony is almost bending under the weight of fans, the sound is perfect and the lighting is beautiful. The riffs are chunky, instantly recognisable to the casual fan, and the crowd respond at every step of the way. Every song gets emphatically cheered before and after they play it – this testament to how successful they have been over the years as almost every single person was singing along. Their hour-long set breezes by all too quickly though and as they finish, it brings a day of some of the best metal around, to a close. We say our goodbyes to whomever we can find and make our way to the hotel to unwind and sleep.

Uprising 6 will go down in history as one of the greatest metal events the UK will see in 2023. Knowing how hard Simon and the team have worked this year to bring this event together is nothing short of sublime, and under the backdrop of similar large metal festivals being cancelled/postponed/etc. it really shows that if properly prepared with love, attention, and a fantastic team, events such as these not only go ahead, but prosper and thrive. The attendance of the event, right from the start, was incredible, and this is down to the hard work and dedication enthused by everyone at Uprising. It would be all too easy to find a million superlatives to talk about the event, but there are always things to improve. I personally would have liked to have seen a larger merch area. It seems many bands didn’t have the time or space to put much out. The security team were also not quite up to speed with several aspects of the event either but being realistic, it didn’t detract from the public’s enjoyment of the event. Regardless of whether I’m reviewing next year’s event, I will be attending Uprising 7 and I strongly encourage you to do the same. Early bird tickets are now on sale so get yours now before they all go!

Photos by Sean Larkin Photography

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