Paleface Swiss, Static Dress , Stick To Your Guns – Manchester Academy Thursday 15th January 2026

Opening my gig diary for 2026 was this heavyweight package which rolled into Manchester with three bands all at the top of their game.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS

After a short delay, US hardcore/metalcore veterans Stick To Your Guns burst onto the stage in a blur of perpetual motion, unleashing one anthem after another as they ran and jumped around the stage, engaging enthusiastically with the front rows. The band are rightly venerated in these circles and this was obvious from the enthusiastic response the band got from the crowd with decent size pits and loud singalongs from the outset.

Mid way through the set, the band gave a shout out to Static Dress and Paleface Swiss before asking for more crowd surfers, with the crowd willingly obliging. This went by very quickly and all too soon, the set was coming to a close with absolutely massive renditions of Against Them All and Nobody.

This had been a mammoth display of crushingly heavy music that was still melodic and accessible, and they had been treated as headliners by big chunks of the crowd. I had been impressed and made my way over to join the ever increasing queue at the merch stand!

STATIC DRESS

Up next, after a short turn around, were Leeds’ own Static Dress who brought a heavier, denser sound as they effortlessly blended metal core and post hardcore (with everything in between), further hyping up the crowd with tracks such as Human Props. The crowd surfers and pits were now in full flow as I reflected to myself that the band are much heavier live than on their recorded offerings. As the set progressed the sound became muddy but that didn’t affect the impact on the crowd and by the time the set closed with Crying the band were fully warmed up. 

PALEFACE SWISS

After enough time for a trip to the bar, the crowd took up positions again in time for Switzerland’s Paleface Swiss who immediately took things to a new level. I Am A Cursed One and Hatred were over in the blink of an eye with each track further blurring the line between deathcore, beatdown and hardcore, but at this point labels didn’t matter as the crowd threw themselves around. Although this was aggressive and confrontational, it felt inclusive with everyone in the room being made to feel very much as though they were part of the family and the show rather than someone who was just watching. The energy levels were high but this also felt organic and genuine rather than a band putting on an act and it really felt like we were part of something special. 

The band demanded more movement and an “old school pit” for Withering Flower before the band spoke about their first ever international show being a few minutes down the road at Rebellion which was followed by a loud sing along for Best Before: Death. We went back in time to Chapter 3: The Last Selection for The Rats before a change of pace with Enough.

SURFERS & GUESTS

The crowd were told that the band were not allowed to ask for a wall of death, and so, of course, the crowd duly split before being told that when they came together they had to make a wall of hugs. Before too long three stools were brought onto the stage for an emotional acoustic version of River Of Sorrows with Ron Deris joining as a guest guitarist and backing vocalist. The crowd took on a large chunk of the vocal duties with many sitting on each others shoulders. The guests continued with Stick To Your Guns joining for an epic rendition of Instrument Of War with security being kept busy by the surfers.

The set was eventually brought to a close with a rowdy, triumphant Please End Me. It was clear that this is a band destined for big things, and although this was a big venue for this style of music, I fully expect to see them continue their climb towards world domination. 

All photography by Andy Pountney (Event Photography Awards Winner 2024 and 2025). You can check out more of his work on shot_in_the_dark_photography2 on Instagram.

Paleface Swiss: Website

Static Dress: Website

Stick To Your Guns: Website

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