Words & Photography: Alisha Lawton
On a cold Sunday night, American metalcore band, Better Lovers, from Buffalo, New York brought the fire to the Club Academy in Manchester. After forming in 2023, they released their debut album Highly Irresponsible in October 2024.
Supporting the show were other metal bands by the name of GreyHaven and Frontierer. The first support, GreyHaven, mentioned to the audience that they had never been overseas before, and this tour was their first time playing shows outside of America. They have definitely gained some new fans! The second support were Fontierer, where they played a heavy se,t and with the first song set the tone, within a few minutes of their set the guitarist leapt onto the barricade and began to crowd surf, while still playing his solo.
Before Better Lovers entered the stage, they played a melody of love songs through the speakers, like Love In An Elevator and Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Moments before the band took to the stage, a fan on the front row tapped me on the shoulder, gave me a hug and told me that he wasn't excited, but he was 'borderline giddy' for one of his favourite bands to perform.
The band entered the stage and moments into the performance the lead singer dived into the barrier, immediately gaining a connection with the audience and setting the tone for the rest of the show. The power of Better Lovers was projected into the sold out room with a performance full of energy. The band transitioned from song to song seamlessly, barely giving the crowd the chance to recover and get their breath back before they were into the next song.
During every song there was head banging and crowd surfing from the audience; it was clear to see that the audience had fully immersed themselves within the show. They were present with the people around them - running into the mosh pits and rocking their heads back and forth.
With the set being just over an hour long, and playing all but 2 songs from their debut album, they did not disappoint. It was a great show full of energy and full of community. It shows that even though the music is heavy, the audience were full of love and appreciation for not only the band, but each other.
