Led By Lanterns

The Led By Lanterns take on Modern/Alternative Rock is by no means unique, but their musical style has a great identity

LED BY LANTERNS
Manchester: Satan's Hollow - 21st April 2022

Though I have been to Manchester many times this was my first visit to Satan's Hollow. The venue, I believe, is primarily used as a club, but there are occasional live events as well. It has a cool set-up inside. Very dark and everything has a strong Gothic feel. There is even a large devil built into one corner of the room, overseeing proceedings.

I have to thank my Fireworks colleague Mike Newdeck for introducing me to Led By Lanterns. They released an E.P. back in 2018 and several singles preceded their debut full-length album 'Paralysis' in early 2022. All ten of the album's songs are high-impact, with instant hooks and well thought out arrangements. The band's bio mentions hard-hitting riffs accompanied by "boy band" vocals, which I guess in some ways is correct (even though I am not overly keen on the "boy band" reference). What was apparent was how much heavier LBL were in the live environment.

Having just fourteen or fifteen songs to choose from meant there were no set-selection headaches and most of them were played. The room is almost round in shape and what is usually the dance-floor was used as the "stage". The in-your-face mix was a bit muddy at times, with the drums and bass being particularly prominent. The guitar did manage to cut through during some of the quieter passages and the use of tapes helped to augment the sound. Chris Lanterns (guitar), Shaun Hill (vocals), Rob Hawkins (bass) and Snake (drums) all had energy to burn, from the opening 'Alive' through to the closing 'Criminal'. Hill's vocals were excellent throughout and Chris Lanterns was clearly having a great time and very entertaining to watch. Crowd reactions were very enthusiastic, and it was clear the band has built up a dedicated fan-base.

The Led By Lanterns take on Modern/Alternative Rock is by no means unique, but their musical style has a great identity. If they can continue to release material of the quality of 'Paralysis' and build on the momentum of this short tour, then there is every reason to suggest that bigger venues and bigger crowds will follow.

Dave Bott