VENUE – Club Academy, Manchester
DATE – 5th September 2026
Words + Pictures – Graeme Wright
It was just under twelve months ago that I first encountered Wailing Banshee at the Rebellion venue in Manchester and they blew me away that night, despite pitting themselves against an excellent support bill. As impressive as they were that day, this evenings event felt different. The band have worked their socks off this year in the live arena and tonight’s set was more polished, more confident, and the band were so tight it was untrue. There was a big crowd in here tonight, befitting of a hometown show and this audience was ready to rock. It was great to see young kids wearing Wailing Banshee T-Shirts as they are the future of Rock music, and they were rewarded in spades with an immense show which was probably the most exciting gig that I’ve covered all year.
Wailing Banshee play proper Heavy Metal with a modern aura to their sound, the closest comparison I could give you would be a hint of Iron Maiden with a female vocalist up front, but in reality they are so much more than that. Vocalist Dani Louise is a shining star with a vocal to die for, and she absolutely owns the stage this evening. Prowling the four corners of a larger than usual stage, she is clearly having a whale of a time and it’s heartwarming that she genuinely loves her audience (with that feeling being reciprocated in every possible way by this enthusiastic crowd). I always love twin guitars and the Harry Derbyshire/Al McKenzie twin axe attack is a mighty weapon indeed for this band. The back line are no slouches either, with bass player Richie Parkhouse and drummer Sean Murphy providing an unbreakable supporting wall that holds everything together beautifully.
There is a huge roar as opening song ‘Fistful Of Glass’ ensures that the band hit the ground running, and the breakneck pace doesn’t stop for the whole of the set. ‘Lord Of The Flies’ is a Maiden-esque galloper and heads are banging alarmingly already at such an early stage of the proceedings. The guitar players all know their craft but that doesn’t stop them from throwing some proper Rock Star shapes (see the attached pictures for some prime examples). ‘Silence’ has a main riff that Tony Iommi would be proud of, while ‘Bible Black’ is the bands latest release. It’s a truly epic song and you can easily see how far this band have come since their inception in 2021. It’s complex, memorable and technically tricky and if the rest of the debut album is of this quality we are in for a treat.
The highlight of the evening for me was ‘All Guns Blazing’. I think it is going to be the first single from the new album (my ears were ringing at this point so I can’t be totally sure), and it’s bloody fantastic. I literally couldn’t sleep on Saturday night because that chorus was rattling it’s way through my brain in the wee small hours. It’s an amazing and anthemic song that had the crowd bouncing off the walls and it’s a smoking hot slab of Heavy Metal Thunder. Amazing stuff, and the band reciprocated the crowds reaction, almost feeding off the manic energy being provided by this enthusiastic audience. The band are still out on tour, so I implore you to get out and see them if you have the opportunity to do so. It was a privilege to be here tonight and if there is any justice in the world this band will go on to be huge. What a night, what a show.
SET LIST
1. Fistful Of Glass
2. Lord Of The Flies
3. Wild Child
4. Silence
5. Bible Black
6. Fight To Be Free
7. Under The Sun
8. All Guns Blazing
9. His Dark Materials
10. Worlds Apart
11. Huntress
12. Wailing Banshee
13. To Save The World
14. The Oracle
BAND
Vocals – Dani Louise
Guitar – Al McKenzie
Guitars – Harry Darbyshire
Bass Guitar – Richie Parkhouse
Drums – Sean Murphy
+ There are no comments
Add yours