Live Review: Wage War - SWG3, Glasgow
Support: Rituals
11th February 2024
Words & Photos: Laura Muraska-Ross
Just off the back of a huge European tour with Papa Roach, Wage War were nothing short of legendary when they took over the SWG3 Galvanizers Yard in Glasgow on the 11th February. Kicking off the UK end of their own small headline tour nicely.
Supporting the metal-core rockers were newcomers Rituals, I say ‘newcomers’ as compared to some bands the foursome from North East England seem to have waded through the musical waters quicker than the speed of light, but for good reason! The band who formed in 2018 as part of a college project and expecting nothing more than to play some local gigs and have some fun, have skyrocketed since their debut EP ‘Awake’ put them on Kerrang! Radio’s radar. Since then, going on to win Kerrang! Radio’s ‘The Deal’ competition which gave the band the chance to record another EP with Marshall Records (who they later signed to) and play the 20th Anniversary Download Festival alongside bands like Metallica, Bring me the Horizon and Slipknot.
I had never heard this band live, but was expecting big things from what I’ve read and heard, and they didn’t disappoint. As soon as singer Lewis Macrae entered the stage, the non stop heavy riffs, continuous double bass drums and screaming vocals kept the crowd hooked from the start! The band looked happy to be there and this filtered out to the room, making for an unforgettable set.
From start to finish, singer Lewis made the most of the stage, interacting with the crowd and using the raised platform at the front to head-bang and mosh along with the crowd between verses. Guitarist Ewan Lee and Bassist Dom James made the most of their long hair and back lighting making it very easy to get taken in by their mesmerising playing. And let’s not forget drummer Matt Dix who showed the crowd how drumming should be done! Singer Lewis them went on to ask the crowd to get the phone torches on and the converted brick warehouse venue lit up in a beautiful moment of togetherness from the crowd. All in all the English group were very entertaining and I can see them headlining their own UK tour soon at big venues like this.
Back to Wage War and all I can say is ‘wow’. When singer Briton Bond came in from stage left on his own and started singing the opening lines to their single ‘The Shows about to Begin’ the crowd went wild. The rest of the band entering just on queue for the heavy chorus hitting, I’ve never seen this kind of opening to a gig and it had a brilliant impact and certainly got me pumped for what else was to come.
If you have never heard Wage War but you like bands such as Slipknot, I Prevail and Architects, you’ll love this five piece. They can’t be pigeon holed into any one category or genre, which is rare in a band these days and amazingly refreshing to see and hear. They seem to take influences from metal-core, hardcore, industrial and dare I say more mainstream areas, but their sound is definitely unique and gripping to the ear. I particularly love the mix of synth and dance like repeats alongside melodic vocals and then ultra heavy screams, and riffs, it makes for an interesting journey and keeps you wanting more. I could’ve happily watched them for another hour.
The band have been through quite the journey, having multiple name changes through the years, from ‘Empires’ when they formed back in 2010, onto ‘War Within’ after original drummer David Rau left to take up a teaching career, occasionally returning to fill in for current drummer Stephen Kluesener. The band finally settling on ‘Wage War’ to carry on their journey and replacing bassist Jordan Pierce with Chris Gaylord.
They seem happy and content with their current lineup and have been making big waves since signing to Fearless records back in 2015 and releasing their debut album ‘Blueprints’. Going on to release a further four studio albums: Deadweight, Pressure, Manic and most recently ‘Stigma’. The Floridian metal band don’t show any signs of slowing down and this headline tour showcases that nicely. Ending their set with the single ‘Is this how it ends’ the band left the stage but the Glasgow crowd started chanting “Here We, Here We, Here We F***ing Go” on repeat until Wage War returned to the stage for an encore.
They saved the best until last in the crowds eyes and played the song ‘Manic’ that seemed to catapult them into the spotlight from their album ‘Manic’ which they released in 2021 after working on it through the Covid-19 pandemic.
I don’t doubt that next time I see them will be in a much bigger venue with a much bigger crowd.
If you haven’t seen either of these bands, Rituals or Wage War, I highly recommend you check them out. You can keep an eye on Rituals website for any upcoming shows https://www.ritualsband.com/ and Wage war will be starting the US leg of their Stigma tour in April 2025, you can get tickets here https://wagewarband.com/.
Photo Credits: Laura Muraska-Ross
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