PALEFACE SWISS // MANCHESTER ACADEMY, MANCHESTER

PALEFACE SWISS LEVEL MANCHESTER WITH BLUNT FORCE PRECISION

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)

PALEFACE SWISS AT MANCHESTER ACADEMY, MANCHESTER
PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI

There is a noticeable shift happening in live music right now. It is not a surge, but a careful return to the chaos of crowds, the together-ness and the choice to be out and about again. Paleface Swiss’ Manchester date, early in their touring calendar for 2026, felt part of this gradual re-entry: a reminder that heavy music doesn’t survive in isolation but it redefines connection through impact. This is exactly what the show was about: direct, unadorned, physical and highly impactful.

First up were Stick To Your Guns, a band that arrived on stage with history and intent. They have been the longstanding torchbearers of politically conscious hardcore, spending years not only to refine their own sound but also to shape an entire generation and genre with them. Their presence on the bill was more about ideology than aggression, shifting the room to participation from the first song on. The shift in the room was immediate, as their set was heavy and brought on collective chaos. They had a lot of energy, movement, awareness and mutual understanding with their crowd that they came with a purpose. Their setlist was a feast for fans old and new: starting off with ‘Diamond’, ‘What Choice Did You Give Us?’ and then continuing on with ‘Spineless’, ‘Amber’, ‘Against Them All’ and anthem ‘Nobody’. Their set was short, tight and full of clarity rather than rage for its own sake.

Second up were Static Dress, filling the room with waves rather than punches. The band represents a different kind of heaviness, one rooted in atmosphere, disorientation and emotion. Emerging from the UK underground, they have built a reputation for blending genres and blurring lines, pulling influences from post-hardcore, nu-metal and experimental rock. The crowd reaction to them is anything but reserved - visibly engaged, heads up and down, controlled and unhinged at the same time. Static Dress are not a band for everyone, but they brought overwhelming amounts of energy to please even the pickiest fans. Thanking Stick To Your Guns for being an inspiration to them since the start, they performed their set with frenzy. The setlist consisted of songs such as ‘face.’, ‘Push rope’, ‘Death To The Overground’, live debuts of unreleased songs such as ‘human props’, ‘sweet.’ and ‘crying’. And to finish off on a high, the band has just announced that they signed with Sumerian Records - so they will definitely be going places this year.

Paleface Swiss do not deal in metaphor. Their music is not designed to be decoded and interpreted, it is meant to hit. Blending hardcore, deathcore and beatdown with confrontational sincerity and explosion, they bring raw emotion, unapologetic lyrics and atmosphere that very few bands of their era can mimic. Their sound hit the room with full intensity as they came on stage without any filter or introduction, and from that moment on their set refused to let up. The vocals were unfiltered, switching between lows, piercing screams and cleans, the guitars were downturned and mechanical, and the drums didn’t drive the songs as much as enforced them. Their performance was full of focus, intent and weight that felt like a sustained assault. Their setlist was a sequence of emotionally honest songs delivered at maximum volume: ‘I Am A Cursed One’, ‘Hatred’, ‘Withering Flower’, ‘Everything is Fine’, ‘Enough?’, ‘The Gallow’ and ‘Love Burns’, each song hit hard. 

Between the songs, there was real engagement with the crowd, more than I have ever seen by a band. Vocalist Marc Zelli did not only engage the crowd to sing, mosh and do ‘The Wall of Life’, but kept acknowledging the strange feeling of being back in rooms like this again. He also spoke briefly about how much it meant to see people turning up, supporting Paleface, supporting each other, and being unapologetic. His words were delivered with a sentiment that landed even harder, given how the band is known mostly for unfiltered aggression. Mid set, Zelli paid direct homage to Stick To Your Guns, crediting them not just as tourmates, but as a band whose values shaped how Paleface Swiss approach live shows. The crowd responded with renewed energy when STYG actually came on stage to perform ‘instrument of war’, which was a great surprise to treat the blood-thirsty audience. 

Whilst musically Paleface Swiss are mostly relentless, with suffocating guitars, unforgiving drums and vocals pushed to the bring, the band still does not fail to surprise. Who would have thought that a band that thrives in chaos would slow down, bring out the acoustic guitars and play the unplugged version of ‘River of Sorrows’ and ‘My Blood On Your Hands’, having the crowd sway to the rhythm and light their flashes, only to end the gig with the “popular one” ‘Please End Me’ that brought back the brutality commonly associated with their music. Yet, every moment of the show was framed with awareness - reminders to keep each other safe, to help fallen bodies up, to make the space inclusive and full of love, because according to Zelli ‘Life is worth living’. The constant pits and crowdsurfs only served to remind people that the band and their audience share a genuine bond and care for each other. 

Overall, Paleface Swiss proved that even the most punishing music can carry a message of solidarity and hope without losing its edge. If that is the first wave of 2026 touring looks like, then live music isn’t just back - it is learning from what it lost.

REVIEW + PHOTOS BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI