Thursday 15th January. O2 Ritz, Manchester England.

We are only a few weeks into 2026, and the live show season has gotten off to a seriously strong start. Last year, I came across German icons Beyond The Black, who produced an explosive set on the main stage at Hellfest in France, and I have been low-key obsessed with their work ever since—when this tour was announced, it was a no-brainer to kick off the year with such an incredible live band.

With their 6th studio album, Break The Silence, only days old, there was huge excitement circulating the tour, and what better way to kick-start the tour than with a curtain-raiser in Manchester’s iconic O2 Ritz—a stunning venue with a nice springy floor to really get the show bouncing.

First up, we had the treat of Swiss singer-songwriter Seraina Telli, who brought her metal and progressive rock vibes to the room with an incredible set surrounded by her garden-vibe stage setup. Her talents are instantly there for all to see, the type of person you could hand any instrument to and be guaranteed a show in any setting—between that and the sheer power in her vocals, it was obvious why she was on this tour. The theme of green spread all over the stage from her outfit to her guitar, giving a subtle yet obvious hint towards the new record Green that was released late last year.

Showcasing the new record, we got a good flavour of what it was all about with the likes of “Black & White,” “Brown Eyed Boys,” and “17,” which was dedicated to what seemed like the very few teens in the crowd. It was a set that highlighted someone who is not afraid to experiment and produce music that she is passionate about—as far as opening acts go, this was a killer start.

It’s very rare I go into any show without looking up any support bands and leave the bands to catch me by surprise—in this case tonight’s main support completely blew me away seconds into their set. Cologne-based metal band Set Your Sails comes stacked with heavy breakdowns and a barrel load of screams blended in with some serious guitar riffs.

Lead singer Jules Mitch set the tone even before setting foot on stage as she screamed her way on as the band kicked into their opening track, “Bad Blood,” taken from the title track record released in 2024. Throughout the set, they produced a very in-your-face performance that brought such raw high energy to the room. Their modern-day metalcore sound is simply incredible, and it was the type of set you just didn’t want to end. The set had everything you could possibly want from a support act, but what impressed me the most was despite the fact the energy Jules had leaping about the stage, her hat never fell off once.

The range that Jules has on her voice is simply incredible, and her ability to switch from singing to screaming and crushing growls was flawless and extremely captivating to witness. She continued to joke about the fact that everyone wanted to see the main headline act and not them, leading nicely into a song that got quite a loud reception. Their song "Fckoff" received probably the biggest crowd engagement of the night during the simple line of "fuck off" in the chorus, and I mean, who doesn’t like to scream that? Despite a lot of people maybe not knowing them, I’m sure Set Your Sails left Manchester with new followers straight from the set, closing tracks “Halo” and the incredible “Best of Me” rounded off what was one of the best support slots I have seen in a long time—maybe going into shows blind on who’s playing isn’t all bad.

Now it’s time for tonight’s headliners, Beyond The Black—ever since I saw them in France last year, the excitement to catch them again live just grew and grew, and what better time to pop down than the first headline show of the year? Coming in hard with an arena-style production with big screens covering the entire back of the stage, it was the perfect setup for what was about to be a stunning show.

Dressed in black, lead singer Jennifer Haben elegantly strolls on stage and takes instant control of the room the moment she enters. They get rolling with the title track of the record “Break The Silence” before diving straight into “Hysteria.” The atmosphere is electric all around the room with fans head to toe in band merch singing every song word for word. “Rising High” follows paired with some gripping visuals on the big screens, something so simple really brings so much to a live show and a welcome addition to this run.

The production for this tour has certainly been planned to perfection; during “Raven,” Jennifer heads on stage dressed in stunning golden wings, capturing the song beautifully—overlooking a packed room dressed like that just screams strong aura, and it was amazing to witness, again the screens behind adding to the beauty. Sticking with what the screens add, during “When Angels Fall,” the statues of angels holding their arms in classical sculpture poses mirroring Jennifer’s sweeping arm gestures at the front of the stage was something spectacular.

A large chunk of the show was there to promote the new record, and in all honesty, after hearing it live so soon after the release, it just cemented how incredible it is. I mean, I knew that, but on stage it's as perfect as it is on tape, and that speaks volumes of what has gone into it all. Standout songs like “Let There Be Rain,” “The Flood,” and “The Art of Being Alone” went down swimmingly with the fans.

Something we have become accustomed to is bands leaving and coming back, and it’s always something that builds some sort of suspense wondering, is it just one more song? In this case, we were treated to 3, including “Running To The Edge” and the stunning finale of “Hallelujah” that received probably the biggest singalong of the night, rounding off what was a captivating performance from the get-go. Beyond The Black has been crushing it ever since their formation, and it’s no surprise that over 10 years later they are still producing nights like tonight.

Beyond The Black Rise High In Stunning Manchester Show

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Beyond The Black Rise High In Stunning Manchester Show

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