Paleface Swiss // Static Dress // Stick To Your Guns // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast
Here we are, kiddiewinkles, day 13 of the shit show that is 2026, and we’re back at The Limelight Belfast for a cracking lineup of modern metal this evening.
Friday last week had us at The SSE Arena covering Glasgow Rockers Biffy Clyro as they kicked off their Futique Tour and tonight we have a very different batch of bands in front of us with Swiss maestros Paleface Swiss headlining as they play their largest UK tour to date taking in two Irish dates along the way also, which will no doubt be appreciated by the locals headbagers. It’s an eclectic mix of people in the room this evening, you find that with certain bands, new faces you don’t always see at the usual run of the mill metal shows we encounter here in NI, but when you have an international lineup such as tonight, the weirdos come out to play! And we love that!
It’s an early start to the night with Stick To Your Guns kicking off proceedings at 7:30, and as I arrive, the room is starting to fill up as we await the band on stage. Now these cats are all the way from Orange County, California, so they have come a long way to be here this evening, and as soon as they rip that opening riff, Belfast knows what they’re all about. These guys are savage! They have been doing their thing since 2003 and bring two decades of experience to the fore, and it shows. These guys look very comfortable up their tossing out riffs like candy to the kids as they lay waste to The Limelight on a school night in Belfast.
Now it may be a Tuesday night, it may be early Jan, and everyone is still getting over Christmas, skint as fuck and in need of something to get over the post Christmas blues, well this is your calling card! Stick To Your Guns, fresh off the release of their latest album ‘Keep Planting Flowers’ that came to us courtesy of Sharptone Records in 2025, are the very adrenaline injection needed to kick your sweet ass into action in 2026!
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
Up next are UK band Static Dress, now one of the bands I’m most familiar with, but this is my first time catching them live. From Leeds, these guys have been doing their thing since 2018 or so, and with one full-length under their belt, ‘Rouge Carpet Disaster’ released back in 2023, I would say we are due new music soon. They have a sound all their own, a totally different vibe from Stick To Your Guns which was a blend of Punk, Hardcore and Metalcore, Static Dress have an independent flavour that sets them apart from the other bands on the bill, a UK indie rock post-hardcore influence perhaps and a more expressive sound, weirdly around 1 song into shooting the band we are pulled from the pit and told the band don’t want photos as they appear to have a tour tog, I guess they don’t need reviews either. This I do not understand, a small UK band on their way up I am assuming with only one album to date and a few EP’s saying to press that have taken the time to make the journey into physically be here and represent “You’re Not Wanted” is a bad look, in a world under attack from AI on all sides, musicians, creatives for you to say to someone like myself who made a 50 mile round trip to be here, be accountable while this industry is on its knees and artists are bleeding out financially with no income coming from music, touring and merch sales seem to be the only way out it feels like your just trying to put yourself out of your own misery. Utterly disgraceful. Rant over.
Now, for the reason we’re all here, Paleface Swiss. I recently reviewed their latest Wilted EP, and it blew me away! A savage recording that packs one hell of a punch inside its short but sweet five tracks. Paleface Swiss were new to me over the past year, having played Bloodstock in the summer, they are back on local soil to build on that momentum and take their presence on the UK and Irish scene to another level. Right from the off, you knew these guys were a totally different level, both in physical presence and power. They took The Limelight by the balls with a barrage of crushing riffs reminiscent of their Wilted EP and their broader catalogue; they unleashed a savage performance on all who braved the cold weather to be pummelled by these European maestros. Vocalist Marc ‘Zeli’ Zellweger is a force of nature, from visceral screams to rhythmic delivery, cutting through the hefty mix of distortion and delivering on every song. The bodies start flying over the top of the barriers with security clambering to keep up with the numbers. This is rare in Belfast, especially here, as the crowd is usually a little more controlled.
Technically, the band were locked in, tight and focused while enjoying the pure rage of the Northern Irish crowd, who were warned early on that they had a lot to live up to compared to Dublin last night. The energy in the room was great to see, as I stood back absorbing the chaos unleashing before me, you can’t help but appreciate the power of a killer live show, the heft that a band like Paleface Swiss bring to the room, their thick groove-laced sound, and gargantuan breakdowns just reverberate across the venue. It’s a beautiful thing to see indeed. The band had a sizeable setlist, and being new to their music it allowed you to get a feel for their earlier sound compared to their latest offering which helps you appreciate the journey the band have been on sonically and how that evolution is taking shape, after reviewing The Wilted EP I am definetly all in on Paleface Swiss, and look forward to see where they will take us next.
As the night draws to a close, it’s a powerful reminder of just how good some of the bands who grace these stages actually are. We can get caught up in our own little worlds with blinkers on, not giving new artists a chance, etc., so I was glad that Paleface Swiss came across my desk and gave me the opportunity to embrace a little Swiss metal! Paleface Swiss were on fire tonight, making their Belfast debut. You can only hope that we made as big an impression on them as they did on our wee city. Three very talented bands, one incredibly hungry and passionate crowd, in one of my fave venues in Belfast, all on a school night. Up next, we have Born Of Osiris with a packed lineup, so beauty sleep will be required between now and then.
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
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