You already know who Sleep Token are: masks, sexy songs, djent meets metalcore meets Rag ’n’ Bone man with added otherworldly angst and a touch of old school Ghost theatrics. Viral sensations! And now, incredibly, imminent Download headliners. Over the short space of a few weeks last year, their steady rise to power was rocket-strapped by a couple of runaway TikTok hits, fast-tracking them from the role of solid modern metal midcarders to main event superweights. A near-unprecedented turn of events not seen since the chart-smashing heights of the nu metal era.
Tonight, Vessel and his mysterious chums descend upon London’s biggest arena for the second of two packed-out shows here, drawing to a close a touring cycle that has surely exceeded even the most optimistic expectations set for them but a couple of years ago. And it really is packed out, only a small section at the very top of the back of the arena not smothered by black-clad rock and metal fans eager to ‘worship’ (which tonight seems to mostly just mean ‘sing along politely and have a thoroughly nice time’). Before Sleep Token’s histrionics gets their moment in the spotlight, though, there’s the matter of tonight’s support, Bilmuri, who compared to tonight’s headliners carry about as much mystique as a fart at Christmas dinner.
