Live report SLEEP TOKEN & HEALTH, edel-optics Arena, Hamburg – December 7th, 2023

Sleep Token is one of the bands that became a rising star over the last few years. Founded 2016 in London, UK the four-piece released the debut album ‘Sundowning’ in 2019. Even the pandemic couldn’t stop the outfit that unleashed with ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’ and Take Me Back to Eden’ two more albums.

Right now, the collective of anonymous musicians is on tour, a roadtrip that includes a show at the sold-out edel-optics Arena in Hamburg. With Sleep Token on tour is a band called Health, which I honestly haven’t heard of earlier.

Now, the band offers a mixture of modern sounding metal which features a lot of industrial parts and electro sounds. It is a bit like Ministry meets Depeche Mode meets Nitzer EBB. This mix, plus fragile clean vocals is an interesting fusion that leads to some nodding heads in the crowd yet everybody came for Sleep Token. Although fans react very respectfully and spend some applause it feels like everybody is happy the moment the stage gets set for the headliner.

Sleep Token on stage is an impressive show is it builds on exciting music and an ambience that adds a lot to the mysterious atmosphere the collective aims for. Bandleader Vessel and his three comrades II, III and IV focus on the music and the wholistic show while the identity of the involved personal remains the be unknown. It is not about the musicians. Tonight is about the music and that many fans appreciate Sleep Token’s effort can be seen already when the four-piece enters the stage. It is a very euphoric welcome while the band unleashes the first notes of ‘Chokehold’. It’s the opener of the latest album of the UK-based band, a record that entered the top 10 of many charts in and outside Europe.

It is impressive to see how music and light show fuse to a complete live experience. Especially the light show is well-designed and surprises constantly with new twists. The music tonight jumps between the calmer moment with Vessel singing while sitting behind the piano and real heavy blasts with a harsh guitar and lots of power. What Sleep Token deliver is a performance; a kind of darkened musical theater play in which long speeches to the crowd don’t have room.

People seem to like what they get offered by Sleep Token and the loyalty of the band’s fan base can be also witnessed when seeing the long waiting line at the merch booth – and shirts aren’t with EUR 45 exactly what one calls cheap. So, dressed in a new shirt fans in the room had fun when dancing and jumping around, especially during the heavier tracks.

Sleep Token offered a complete show. This event is more than just a concert. It is a wholistic and entertaining live experience that is a treat for your ears and has something to offer for your eyes too. The latest studio album was and is good, but seeing the band live is definitely the better choice.