Bury Tomorrow Bring ‘The Seventh Sun’ to Bristol’s Marble Factory [Photos]

Coming off the back of a slew of arena shows supporting Architects, fellow UK metalcore act Bury Tomorrow embark on their own European tour in slightly smaller venues – but with every date bar one being sold out demonstrating they are ready to take the next headlining step themselves.

Openers Kingdom of Giants are disciples of the metalcore rulebook rather than ripping it up. Harsh verses are bookended with clean choruses and breakdowns aplenty are the order of their set. They inspire the already packed room into a wall of death which, for an opening band, is pretty impressive.

Main support comes from true metalcore royalty in We Came As Romans, who bring endless energy as they bound about the stage. Bassist Andy Glass, in particular, is in perpetual motion from side to side. The crowd gleefully sings along with virtually every chorus, drowning out vocalist Dave Stephens, especially in “Lost In The Moment,” and building the energy levels from an already high start.

Bury Tomorrow enters the stage and launches into the same opening trio as their most recent album, The Seventh Sun (2023) – “The Seventh Sun,” “Abandon Us,” and “Begin Again.” The beginning of their set also kicks off the most relentless stream of crowd surfers I’ve witnessed at a gig; dodging their constant crossing of the barrier and the (faultless and exceptionally busy) security in the photo pit makes shooting photos challenging.

As they pile through a performance that leans heavily on more recent releases (with a few older touches) the crowd surfing doesn’t slow and the audience’s singing along raises in volume yet further; “Black Flame” possibly being the loudest point of the night.

Bury Tomorrow has many superb qualities that stand them head and shoulders above their contemporaries, and it’s live that the key two stand out even more than on record. The lead guitar work by Kris Dawson can play second fiddle to the vocals on the record but live; there’s no mistaking the virtuoso performance on stage. And the connection frontman Dani Winter-Bates is able to make with the audience at a show elevates his unique presence and lyricism further still. Forget those who’ve been at the top of those arena bills; for me, the true kings of UK metalcore headlined tonight.

Bury Tomorrow Setlist:

1. The Seventh Sun
2. Abandon Us
3. Begin Again
4. Man On Fire
5. An Honourable Reign
6. Life
7. The Grey
8. Black Flame
9. Knife Of Gold
10. Boltcutter
11. Wrath
12. Heretic
13. Cannibal
14. Choke
15. Death

Bury Tomorrow (w/ Kingdom of Giants, We Came As Romans) @ The Marble Factory (Bristol, UK) on January 20, 2024

46 photos