Orbit Culture continue their quest for world domination with an electric show in Manchester.

Orbit Culture had sold out many of their shows on their UK/EU tour well in advance. Manchester Rebellion was suitably packed to the rafters to welcome the Swedish rockers.

DEFECTS

“What’s up Manchester?” screams Tony Maue as the band fly straight into their set. The backward capped Maue moves around the stage with energy, seeking to draw and impart that same energy from the crowd. From the off, the crowd are happy clapping along when commanded and give the band a warm reception. End Of Days causes movement in the warming crowd. The mid song breakdown manages to really hit the mark.

“We’re defects from London…it is an honour to be supporting Orbit Culture,” announces Maue before introducing Scapegoat; one of the many cuts taken from the bands’ forthcoming debut record entitled Modern Error. Another new track that really impresses is Broken Bloodlines; again from the new album. It is good to see a billing where the support band gets a good clutch of time to build their set and form a connection; whether that is through the music or taking the show to the floor in amongst the crowd. Defects will be a band to keep an eye on during 2024; this will not be the last time we hear from them. Modern Error will be released on May 24th 2024 (pre-order here).

ORBIT CULTURE

There is a foreboding aura in the air leading up to Orbit Culture hitting the stage. Lustmord’s dark ambient piece Babel rumbles around the PA with the lights out and the stage being prepared.

For a band playing Rebellion, an intimate, tight venue, Orbit Culture have a hefty team setting up the stage. Crew members run across the stage with various bits and pieces whilst the crowd clamour for their positions.

Christopher Wallerstedt takes the stage first, drumsticks aloft. Encouraging the crowd to clap along, the rest of the Swedish quartet arrive on stage and immediately get to work with Black Mountain (from 2023’s Descent).

Huge bursts of dry ice and Orbit Culture’s custom light rig helps to create a huge spectacle in smaller surroundings. Niklas Karlsson cuts an imposing figure front and centre. In the shadowy settings, his side profile is reminiscent of Hetfield circa ’88.

“How we doing Manchester? We are Orbit Culture from Sweden!” announces singer and guitarist, Karlsson. He encourages the crowd to join in with two words to tee up the industrial sounding, Strangler. The ‘Get Out’ vocal call is vociferously responded too by the fervent crowd.

More cuts from the bands decade long discography continue with North Star Of Nija and Nensha. Both are greeted rapturously by the crowd as the band fly around the stage with vigour. Nensha offer a harmonic twin guitar melody before the song bursts back into life. As far as show openings go; this is deadly.

DESCENT INTO MADNESS

‘Orbit!’ chants come from the crowd; there is a little more looseness in the air with this being a Friday night. Perhaps this is encapsulated during The Shadowing when the crowd go wild and numerous crowd surfers are passed around the room for literally several minutes. It is certainly the longest amount of time this writer has ever seen someone survive ‘a surf’. Even the band’s photographer surfs himself, to get those killer shots of a band in white hot form.

A brace of tracks from Redfog follow; the title track and See Through Me. The former has a real swagger and groove in its tempo and takes on a new life when performed. The second half of the song is brutal; this is not lost on Manchester. They are full of energy and genuinely amped for everything the band do.

With Orbit Culture bringing a lot of their own kit, they really set a bar for production value at Manchester Rebellion. They make the most of the smaller space and leave no stone unturned in achieving high standards in their show. Requests for a circle pit are acknowledged during Alienated which is preceded by a ‘Yorkshire!’ chant. “I have no idea!” says Karlsson. It is probably best that way!

From The Inside is the standout of the night though. A chorus that is huge, the crowd giving everything, another stunning groove and some great soloing. Heartfelt thanks is offered to the crowd. Most bands would perhaps be getting the newer material out of the way at the start of their set. Not Orbit Culture. Vultures Of The North closes out the set with Saw and While We Serve providing incendiary foil for the closer.

Orbit Culture are clearly a band who are on the up and are going to be huge. So many sold out shows is testament to that. They are the complete package and bigger venues surely beckon.

Many thanks to Sabrina Ramdoyal for allowing us to use her picture of Orbit Culture from the show in Manchester. You can see more of her work here and on Instagram, here.

Check out From The Inside from Orbit Culture’s 2023 album, Descent.

Orbit Culture: Website / Facebook / Instagram

Defects: Facebook / Instagram

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