It’s always weird when a band announces a tour as the seasons get warmer and the next thing you know, you’re waiting out in the cold and wondering why you did this. Then you get inside, the first band takes to the stage and you’re like, “Ah yeah. That’s right.” What was meant to be at the O2 is now at Albert Hall in Manchester—a venue I’ve heard a lot about, but never been to before.

Heart of Gold opened tonight in the church-like venue. Can’t lie, the UK band is hard to research online due to their name being quite popular. The band has that cosy vibe about them akin to Dayseeker, but without the metal aspect. I can see why they were brought on this tour. If you like the headliner, there’s no way you wouldn’t like these guys.
The vocalist had some really clean vocals. The stability is commendable and shows the ability of the singer. The rest of the band were great to watch, especially the bassist. He kept moving around the stage, interacting with the drummer and guitarist, and then he’d just be grooving at his mic stand providing vocal support.
The crowd tonight was keen to get involved. At the command of the vocalist, they brought up their torches on their phones, giving the room a nice little glow. The people below then started to sway their phones in time to the beat. The vocalist gave his thanks for the audience being “awesome” and proceeded to finish their last two songs with a little more groove in their step.

Rain City Drive are the main support for this tour. The Florida-born band is getting quite the buzz recently, and I can’t help but imagine the UK audience was eager for their appearance. A poster at the balcony read, “Rain City Drive saved my life.” The influence of the band shows how deeply they’ve reached some fans. The distance keeping them from reaching more people is slowly breaking down as they travel the UK, converting Dayseeker fans along the way.
The band as it is has been active for about three years, after leaving behind their previous iteration, Slaves. This era of their career feels entirely new. The band itself feels like a tight unit. If you’d asked me, I’d have thought they’d been active and touring together for about ten years. The lore of this band though… what do you mean the vocalist was a runner-up on The Voice?
My only gripe would probably be that the mic audio seemed… low? At times, I don’t think the crowd could actually hear what the singer was requesting, but when the singer confidently passed the mic to the audience, the fans at the barrier screamed the words back. Yeah. This has been quite the wait for some. At least a quarter of the crowd here must be for Rain City Drive. During their song “Medicate Me,” Rory of Dayseeker came out to fill his feature. The crowd went wild as he appeared in a grey jumper.
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The band of the hour, Dayseeker, came on to the roar of the crowd. The band has been making waves these past couple of years, and their album Dark Sun has only furthered that growing success. The California four-piece is known for their sad bangers—not those exact words, like. The inspiration for the lyrics comes from the experiences of the vocalist and those around him, making them hit that much harder as they feed into reality.
The crowd went wild as the band opened with “Dreamstate.” Those harsh vocals hit just as much as they do on the record. You just stand there with awe on your face as you feel that drop. At one point, the vocalist asked how many people were seeing Dayseeker for the first time—a bunch of hands went up. The band aren’t unknown to the UK, having already been here this year (one of those times supporting Pierce the Veil), and to see how many hands went up just shows how quickly they’re captivating people.
Whilst I should be promoting more of the newer singles, man, “Burial Plot” just goes so hard every time I see them live. The crowd couldn’t help but jump. I swear I felt the ground shaking as the crowd uniformly moshed. “Neon Grave” also hit that spot just right. The vocal stability from soft to harsh is just… immaculate. The guitarists were going for it too, both moshing in their spaces, flipping their hair, or showing off their guitars to the audience. The drummer… from what I could see, had a nice shirt. Nah, I’m just playing. He was at the back of the stage, and with how high it was, it was hard to see him from the floor. Every so often you’d get a glimpse of his shirt shimmering, and his silhouette would appear behind the smoke. You’d just see him throw his head back as he hit those cymbals.
Dayseeker are one of those bands that are riding the metalcore wave right now. You know, like the K-pop hallyu wave? Is there a name for the metal version? Because it exists. This insurgency of bands emerging from the cracks is insane to see. All this hype music, and they’ve only just blown up in the last two years. Each band tonight is building a legacy brick by brick, and it’s so exciting to see—for the future of this genre and live shows. With only two days left on this tour in the UK, you may worry you’ve missed your chance—but do not fret, Dayseeker will make a return come Download 2025.
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Photos by Jayne Slater