Devin Townsend, Manchester Academy 2, 2021

After a difficult year and a half for touring musicians around the world, its satisfying beyond words to see a big crowd gather together to celebrate and enjoy live music again. Ahead of his headline set at Bloodstock Festival, Canada’s fearsome shred master Devin Townsend announced a special warm up set at the Manchester Academy. With throngs of excited fans lining up outside the venue, punters were beyond ecstatic for the doors to open for one of the most anticipated warm-up shows in recent memory.

The assembled fans can all agree with Devin Townsend’s  giddy opening exclamation “This is weird!”. After 18 moths away from live performances, we can all sympathise. Let It Roll started off the night beautifully, which followed with the classic sing along of Ih-Ah!  After the chilling Solar Winds,. its followed by a particularly hard-hitting Funeral.  The definitive Hyperdrive became even more surreal and the delightful acoustic performance of Claude-Michel Schöberg’s classic Bring Him Home brought smiles all across the room.

Devin Townsend’s band tonight apparently had a mere 48 hours to rehearse this special fan-picked setlist. Comprising of bassist James Leach (Sikth), guitarist Stephen Platt (Collibus and of the Manchester metal scene) and drummer Darby Todd, the band put on a superb performance. From the explosive first notes of Strapping Young Lad’s Aftermath, to the by the huge sounding  Kingdom ,the band never put a foot wrong. It was clear  Devin had nothing to worry about. The battle cry of By Your Command built to a roaring apex, March of the Poozers came on even strongerand Supercrush! sounded simply joyously. Almost Again brought it’s operatic brutality that could have shattered the earth and the moving Stormbending once again showcases the impressive breadth of styles that Devin Townsend can make his own. The crowd and particularly the mosh pit going nuts during Love? was a sight to behold, while the audio juggernauts Regulator  and Deadhead were both heart wrenching and still crushingly heavy.

With his genuinely engaging humour and an enchanting visual display throughout, Devin Townsend is one of the most engaging frontmen in modern metal. The guitar duel with his puppet alter ego `Ziltoid`, was another nice touch to the live set. Bringing the funk back into the shuffle with groovy jazz number Bad Devil, this led to the hyper  Spirits Will Collide. The encore began with the relentless SYL anthem Detox. The final dance of the night came from fan favourite Vampira, with fans creaming along to every word.

When the night ended, the fans who had been part of the night left fully satisfied that they had just witnessed something truly special.  It was one of these moments that couldn’t be replicated and for everyone  from the crew to the fans and Devin Townsend himself, it was a mission well accomplished.