Make Them Suffer // Resolve // Conjurer // If Not For Me // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast

So, I am still recovering from last Friday’s Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses Final. The weather has been beautiful, and I’ve been left home alone by the missus as she galavants off in the Lake District. So, I’ve been looking after two cats and two dogs for the last few days, so tonight’s gig is a very welcome break!

It was one of those announcements that popped up out of nowhere a while back when we were complaining that Belsonic this year has no metal acts representing at all, which in itself is unusual, as we are about to kick off festival season in the UK. So many international metal bands will be local enough to pop across the pond to spoil the Irish crowds, both North and South of the border, so why the drought? Well, we all know how tough the touring market is for musicians, so no doubt that’s a major factor, but not tonight as we have four killer bands and it kicks off seriously early, 6:50 pm, the first band takes to the stage, like WTF!!! It’s a school night and shizzle is kicking off at tea time in Northern Ireland, cray cray that’s all I can say.

I get my beautiful ass down just a few minutes before tonight’s opener walk up to the stage, If Not For Me from Harrisburg Pennsylvania are here not to just make up the numbers it seems but deliver a killer opening set. Thriller Records artists, I have been working with the team from the label for a few years now and have put out plenty of press on these lads who have had a meteoric rise over their career with an ability to create hard-hitting but seriously catchy tunes that just deliver.

The beauty of catching an American band is the sheer stage presence they always bring with them. INFM are monstrous live, frontman Patrick Glover’s vocals are on point! From guttural growls to powerful cleans, he knocks it out of the park, backed up by a stellar set of musicians who all look so comfortable up there under the lights, it’s easy to see why INFM have such a broad appeal. The room is absolutely bouncing as they wrap up their short, be sweet set! The boys and girls are digging the vibe, and the band have won over an army of fans here on their debut Belfast performance.

And now for something completely different, Conjurer, one of the UK’s finest progressive sludge/doom/post-metal acts is around. They’re a band who are hard to define, but you cannot forget if you have ever seen them live. I caught them at Bloodstock in 2021 and they made a serious impression, as much of the hype by all who crammed in to see them play as much as the live performance itself. 2021’s BOA was a bit of a blur post shamdemic the world lost its mind and everyone at BOA 21 got and gave Covid out like smarties and had the best fucking time of their lives doing it. As it is Conjurer are everything you want from a band of their ilk, commanding, magnetic and sonically glorious in every way. For some chatting to after they are a band you love or hate, but Belfast lapped them up!

Up next are the mighty French kings of modern metal / Metalcore, Resolve!! No strangers to Belfast, we canning these crazy cats a while back supporting Currents, I believe in this very venue. These guys took my breath away that night, and tonight is no exception. Fucking stunning from the off! Every time I catch a French metal band in Belfast, I’m blown away! The aggression fused with the melody is on another level; the live delivery is just stunning! I feel sorry for the guys as they seem to be suffering technical issues, the vocalist especially is having mic issues that are ongoing for the first few songs of the set, but the band’s bringing it live, and the people in the room don’t feel like they’re losing out at all. The sound is gargantuan, the room is shaking to its cor,e and everyone is getting into it, their vibe is off the charts, so good to have them back in Belfast once again! I defo want to see these guys on a bigger stand with space to breathe.

This is it, here we are, Make Them Suffer are about to make their debut here in Belfast. All the way from Perth, Australia, they have come a very long way to finally appease their Irish fanbase, and thankfully, they have turned out in their droves. Believe me, that’s no easy feat in today’s game, you can’t even guarantee a UK band a full house here, let alone an Aussie collection travelling halfway across the world. Fair play, this is what it’s all about, grafting, doing the miles, playing those venues and honing your craft and when you do, you get to take three killer bands with you to make one magical evening in Belfast and beyond.

As the sweaty bodies pour out of the Limelight for some badly needed fresh air on this hot summers night, 50% pile outside and the rest into the merch area to snap up a tour T while they still can, all three’s bands so far have played a blinder, the sweaty mess that are the patrons have had a ball and we still have tonight’s headliner to go. Fucking A !

Part of me wonders how the hell we’re gonna top this. Resolve are killer live, the energy, the stage presence is everything you want from a live performance …. And then Make Them Suffer hit the stage! Jesus H!

Mind Blown !! Thea Cats are spectacular live! Energy, passion, and musicality drip from their pores, and the heft they bring with the songwriting is just sublime. They have travelled a long way to be here, and the room is rammed with passionate fans who are eating it up as fast as Make Them Suffer can dish it out! I have to say the dance moves of guitarist Nick McLernon are an absolute animal live, his on-stage persona just makes you smile from start to finish as he slays it live. He’s magnetic to watch, the music is savage, the band have a sound and vibe all their own, fusing Metalcore, Symphonic Metal, and Deathcore with ease. They make it all look so effortless as they blast their way through track after track, ripping the faces off everyone in the front row, the grim smile of the stage crew on their team tells you know they are killing it up there. Their 2024 self-titled album brings the newer music to the fore, but the band has a substantial back catalogue to pull from after forming way back in 2008. These guys, although having been through numerous line-up changes over the years, are a highly experienced bunch of musicians and live, it shows. It is pure class from start to finish and a show that barely allows you to catch your breath. Having an Aussie band on our shores is a real treat, but when they’re this good and deliver like Make Them Suffer have this evening, then it hurts me that it’ll be a while before we may see them again. The beautiful balance of vocals from Sean Harmanis and Jaya Jeffery is sublime, the energy spilling from the stage is years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears from miles upon miles on the road, hundreds of live shows all honing their craft, culminating in blistering performances like tonight’s. This is what it’s all about! Thirteen tracks if im not mistaken, all wrapped up with ‘Widower’ and by the time Make Them Suffer exit the stage the rooms a mess, the fans are a mess, it’s been like a sauna in this room and everyone iving it their all on the floor let the band know their company was appreciated and Belfast will happily have them back anytime!

As we get out into the fresh air, it allows us time to take stock and be grateful once again that we have bands of this quality still prepared to make that long journey across the pond to bring their own brand of magic to our shows. We’ll not forget this evening too soon.

https://grysclrec.lnk.to/doomswitch

Photography: Mark McGrogan