“Oh, my love! Did I mistake you for a sign from God? Or are you really here to cut me off? Or maybe just to turn me on?” Back in January, these lyrics during the funk outro of Sleep Token’s breakthrough song The Summoning got all of the internet feeling frisky. As that verse serenades Manchester live this evening, there’s a different emotion lingering in the air: 4,000 worshippers are screaming each of the words during the band’s biggest festival headline “ritual” to date, and it’s awe-inspiring.
Of course, the news “Sleep Token do something big” has been heard ad nauseam this year. The Summoning was the first monster metal song of 2023, catapulting its masked creators to a new apex of success with its listenability, eclecticism and alluring sexuality. Two weeks later the band played their biggest show at London’s 5,000-person Hammersmith Apollo, then third album Take Me Back To Eden landed to mass acclaim. Oh, and they sold out Wembley Arena in 10 fucking minutes back in June.
