All hail! Spiritbox storm Alexandra Palace and stake a claim for rock’s throne at sold-out London mega-gig…
And so to the coronation. This time three years ago, Spiritbox had never once stepped foot on a UK stage. Yet such has been the speed of their rise up the heavy music scene’s ranks that seeing their name up in lights at the regal Alexandra Palace – sold out, no less, on a bitterly cold school night – doesn’t feel like an oddity, rather the next natural step in the journey of a band for whom the road has been both lifelong and yet in ways inexplicably short.
With second album Tsunami Sea on the horizon – three tracks from which make the cut in tonight’s career-spanning setlist – this is no victory lap, however. Instead, it feels like the dawning of a new era in which Spiritbox comfortably call arenas such as this home. Make no mistake: this is no one-off anomaly. Incredible as it is to think, it might even be the last time you see them in venues this small.
Stray From The Path and Periphery serve as perfect mood-setters. Stray’s harnessed rage sucks this giant room’s walls closer by the minute, new single Kubrick Stare, played out beneath the grinning visage of Jack Nicholson in The Shining turning the cavernous into the thrillingly claustrophobic; Periphery follow by reversing the trick by creating a vast sonic expanse in which their knotty technicality has the air to pulse and swell.
Spiritbox take to the stage unveiling hitherto unheard Tsunami Sea opener Fate Morgana, a statement of intent and display of confidence in their abilities to rule this room. It’s anything but misplaced. A tiered stage elevates drummer Zev Rose high above his bandmates, the space above, below and around him dominated by colossal video screens. Guitarist Mike Stringer and bassist Josh Gilbert stalk the wings. The three make for an impressively taut collective, Jaded, Rotoscope and The Void forceful displays of their synchrony.
It’s in Courtney LaPlante, though, that Spiritbox posses their defining X factor. Hers is a presence that is simultaneously enigmatic and emphatic. There is a precision and intent underpinning her every step across the stage; rarely will you see a 10,000-strong audience controlled with such consummate, crafted ease. Her vocals are immaculate, too, behemothic on Holy Roller, Soft Spine and Circle With Me, beguiling on Eternal Blue and Sew Me Up, given its live debut.
Pinpointing exact moments, though, in many ways doesn’t tell the story of the evening. Tonight is more about a meticulously crafted mood; there is a communal atmosphere that envelops every far-reaching corner, a sharing in something uniquely special, kinship between those onstage and those in front of it. Two fans are welcomed up for a marriage proposal; Courtney later introduces the curtain-dropping Constance, which begins acoustically before exploding into confetti-strewn life, by saying, “This is the happiest I’ve ever felt at a show before.” You believe her, too.
Back in the days before Spiritbox had even touched down on these shores, Kerrang! once declared them to be “the hottest band in the world”. If you didn’t believe us then, you certainly should now.
Spiritbox's album Tsunami Sea is released on March 7 via Rise. The band play Download Festival in June – get your tickets now.
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