Paleface Swiss, O2 Academy Manchester

15th January 2026

Words by Phil Ingham

Manchester Academy was already healthily full for the first of tonight’s three bands. This doesn’t come as a surprise though. The opening band is Stick to Your Guns, the Californian hardcore/metalcore stalwarts known for their blistering live sets. They did not disappoint, treating the growing crowd to a ripping 8-song set that had the Academy moshing from the off. The setlist was a good blend of old and new and got the evening off to a great start.

Next up was Static Dress. The Leeds lads came to the stage to a thumping bass drum that rattled your fillings. Their set was a high-octane mix of metalcore and screamo which maintained the energy brought by the previous band. Not long into the show, in response to vocalist Olli Appleyard’s demand for crowd surfers, bodies duly began to surge towards and over the front barrier. Appleyard continued his demand for crowd action as the set continued. He was calling for a circle pit, mosh pit, or hands in the air between almost every line. At times it felt more like a game of Simon Says than a gig. During the ferocious set, the band treated us to a version of the song ‘Human Props’, which had only been released earlier that day. It got a great response from the crowd, and what they lacked in lyrical knowledge, they made up for in hand waving. Another great support set, which left a palpable air of excitement in the air for the main event.

Paleface Swiss are a band that just seem to grow and grow, and seeing them in Manchester really shines a light on their progression. As singer Zelli tells the crowd mid-gig, the band played their first international show at the tiny Rebellion venue, their first international headline show at renowned metal club Satan’s Hollow and are now headlining a near-sold-out Academy. When he says he considers Manchester “the best fucking city in all of the United Kingdom, maybe even all of Europe”, it rings with sincerity given the city’s significance in Paleface Swiss’s journey.

The performance they bring to the Academy is brutal and filled with the raw aggressive energy that has fuelled their rise. Although a deathcore band at heart, they flirt with other genres, which gives their music a fresh edge that not all bands from that scene manage. Nu metal in particular peeks through their music, with recognisable influence from Slipknot, Korn and System of a Down.

From the opening track, ‘I am a Cursed One’, to the end of the show, the crowd was up for this one. Pits erupted throughout the evening, and security staff were stretched managing the constant stream of crowdsurfers. The set started with a trilogy of songs from the 2025 album ‘CURSED’, with the venomous ‘Hatred’ and ‘…and with hope you’ll be damned’ following the opener.

Next was a trip back to 2022 for ‘Nail to the Tooth’, performed with such heaviness that the entire song felt like a crushing breakdown.

The tour is entitled ‘The Wilted Tour’, so it was no surprise to see the band showcase the EP on stage. Before launching into ‘Withering Flower’, Zelli spoke of his pride in the record and demanded an ‘old school nu metal’ moshpit. The room did not disappoint.

‘Best Before: Death’ followed, and with eyes closed it could have been early Slipknot out there. This is intended as a compliment, with Paleface Swiss wonderfully reminiscent of the explosive style of the Des Moines metallers at their best.

Another one from 2022’s ‘Fear & Dagger’ album followed with ‘The Orphan’. The guttural vocals, rapid-fire drums and chest-thudding riffs of this one received a raucous response from those in attendance.

The tempo slowed a little with ‘Everything is Fine’ before the deepest cut of the night, ‘The Rats’ from ‘Chapter 3: The Last Selection’. According to Zelli, this was a song that hadn’t been played live for seven years before this current tour. Given the reaction, I don’t think they will wait another seven years to fit this onto a set list.

The unique ‘Enough?’, with hip-hop beginnings which open up into angry deathcore, translates superbly to the live medium, as does the anguished ‘The Gallows’. The latter saw the crowd form a ‘Wall of Love’ after Zelli had joked he wasn’t legally able to ask for a Wall of Death!

Zelli barked through ‘My Blood On Your Hands’ and ‘Let Me Sleep’ before the hard-working crew brought stools on to the stage, setting the scene for a stunning acoustic version of ‘River of Sorrows’.

The band were joined by Jesse and Josh of Stick to Your Guns for an incendiary version of ‘Instrument of War’ before returning to the ‘Cursed’ album to finish the set with ‘Love Burns’ and the intense ‘Please End Me’.

Although mid-January is notoriously dull and dreary, this night bucked that trend and then some. The 3500-strong crowd went home happy, sweaty and wondering just how big the venue will need to be the next time the band returns to Manchester.

Band:

Marc “Zelli” Zellweger (Lead Vocals)

Yannick Lehmann (Guitar)

Tommy Lee (Bass)

Cassiano “Cassi” Toma (Drums)

Set list:

1. I am a cursed one.
2. Hatred
3. … and with hope you’ll be damned
4. Nail to the Tooth
5. Withering Flower
6. Best Before: Death
7. The Orphan
8. Everything is Fine
9. The Rats
10. Enough?
11. The Gallow
12. My Blood on your Hands
13. Let Me Sleep
14. River of Sorrows
15. Instrument of War
16. Love Burns
17. Please End Me