Moonspell - Sound Control, Manchester 27.03.2016
Tonight is only a 2 band night but that doesn't stop it from being an enjoyable one. The support comes in the form of SoulLine, Melodic Death Metal hailing from Switzerland. Their audience tonight is a rather sparse one, wether this is attributed to it being Easter Sunday therefore making the travel aspect harder, who knows. But small crowd or big crowd it is safe to say Soul Line bring it all the same. Their beautiful blend of brutal and melodic is welcomed by myself, but sadly not the audience as it becomes clear most are here only for Moonspell, With movement limited and response lack lustre, It isn't really until the last 15 odd minutes of their 45 minute set that the room starts to really appreciate what is on offer here. There is no point denying the genre in which these guys sit isn't always the freshest and SoulLine do often find themselves sounding very similar to some of the genres stronger players, but this isn't a bad thing and ultimately they are extremely good at what they do. With harsh vocals and some beautifully intricate guitar playing, they offer up a strong set. I just wish a little more appreciation was thrown their way.
Whilst waiting for the change over I strike up a conversation with a Romanian gentlemen, who is in somewhat disbelief at the size of tonights venue. He goes on to explain that in his home country Moonspell are a huge band that can command arena size shows. It quickly becomes an eye opener and gets me thinking about how different bands can sit on the ladder based upon location and genre. Tonight Moonspell hit Manchester for the first time ever, and are a band I've followed for years. I consider myself an on/off fan and I too found them playing a smaller venue rather odd if not exciting at the same time, with the prospect of a more intimate show. But as they arrive on stage and tear into a set of songs old and new, the venue sits at roughly half capacity. The half that are here are losing their minds and are clearly getting everything they'd hoped to receive from tonight. It's easy to say "well it's a bank holiday" but maybe the band just doesn't have the same appeal here in the UK than say my Romanian friends home country. All I can say is tonight was brilliant, full of spectacle and great songs and a passionate audience that brought an energy that was infectious. Moonspell were definitely deserving of more from the UK but I don't think that will stop us seeing them here again as they clearly, like their fans, had a lot of fun tonight.
Moonspellofficialband - https://www.facebook.com/moonspellband/?fref=ts SoulLine - https://www.facebook.com/soulline/?fref=ts
