LIVE FROM THE PIT: Nevertel and Ocean Sleeper
- James Smith
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
Manchester’s Deaf Institute played host to one of the hottest alternative bills of the summer as Florida genre-benders NEVERTEL brought their UK and European headline tour to the city, also accompanied by Australia’s rapidly rising metal-core outfit OCEAN SLEEPER. With NEVERTEL following the momentum of their recent single Otherside as well as OCEAN SLEEPER doing the same with the release of Peace When I’m Dead and Break the Cycle, this was a tour that felt significant well before the doors opened.
Both acts arrived in Manchester carrying some serious momentum. NEVERTEL had spent the year expanding their international reach and profile through a successful headline run as well as appearances at major festivals including that of Download Festival, while OCEAN SLEEPER continued to establish themselves as one of Australia's most promising modern metal-core exports following their signing with Rise Records and BMG. Knowing all of that, this bill was a heavy threat of rumbling ribcages and dynamic energy.
OCEAN SLEEPER came out and made haste with making their mark on Manchester. Opening with You Kill the Good in Me, the Gippsland four-piece wasted absolutely no time in commanding the room with brutal hooks and relentless energy. A true blend of rib crushing riffs, soaring energy, and definitely their emotionally charged lyricism, translating their energy perfectly into a live setting was nothing short of breath-taking.
Next they brought Heaven and Light In My Dark to the table which maintained their presence in the ever-packed room, leaving bodies jumping high in the pit and hands flying higher with every pounding chorus. As the set ran and the pit expanded, the crowd wailed for the band’s newest single release Peace When I’m Dead and didn’t fail to have everyone reaching for the air in a huge wall of death just showing how OCEAN SLEEPER have continuously refined their sound without sacrificing any of the emotional vulnerability that helped build their ever-loyal following.
Australian publication Wall Of Sound declared themselves officially “back on the OCEAN SLEEPER train”, describing the band as being currently “at their strongest” while highlighting their mix of clean and scream vocal work being unmistakable. That assessment felt completely justified having witnessed their masterful work inside The Deaf Institute. Tracks including Maybe Death Is All I Need, Forever Sinking and Break The Cycle all reflect a quartet firing on all cylinders yet still growing in confidence and maturity.
All of the face melting melodies supplied only seemed to invigorate NEVERTEL even before stepping out on stage. The crowd could sense their electric presence and swelled to fill out the room for what was about to be a chaotic cataclysm of energy.
Knowing the chaos that was about to flood the room, NEVERTEL decided to kick off by dropping their most recent single, Otherside unleashing their own raw, modern metal-core sound that echoed throughout the venue and more creating a storm of sweat and screams that emanated from the crowd.
Both frontmen Jeremy and Raul effortlessly rocked the room with every vocal and their untapped conviction. So much so, the floor of The Deaf Institute seemed to shift and bend beneath the audience’s feet. Following that, the crowd threw themselves into tracks such as Losing Faith, Did It All and Modified with unparallel momentum shaking the very building itself.
What seemed to separate NEVERTEL from their contemporaries was their ability to balance sheer oppressiveness with true accessibility. For example, tracks like Sacrifice and Starting Over share that influence of huge head shaking choruses that get the crowd stuck in with their own backing vocals. On the other hand, tracks like SYM and ICON leaned into more of the band’s hip-hop influences without disrupting that lip biting flow they maintain. The mix of these head thrashing harmonies recalled that of LINKIN PARK, FROM ASHES TO NEW and maybe even BRING ME THE HORIZON but ultimately, these guys know how to do it their own way, in their own style.
Their pacing of the set also worked flawlessly with moments of reflection and juxtaposed bursts of energy giving the audience just enough breathing room to make the most of the pit in the center. Even they know when its time to slow down for suspense, and that’s exactly what they brought with more emotional sections. One specifically, amidst Everything In My Mind, they slowed it all down to a smooth mid-verse masterpiece, everyone from the crowd raised their phones lights way up and swayed in unison creating an ocean of blue light, almost reminiscent of the aurora borealis. Every voice created a whirlpool of tactile screams as they accelerated towards a dominant closing stretch.
By the end, it was clear Manchester had witnessed two bands that were at significant milestones in their own journeys. OCEAN SLEEPER demonstrated why they are quickly becoming one of modern metal-core’s most intriguing alternative prospects, while NEVERTEL confirmed that their esteemed reputation was fully deserved.
For those fortunate enough to be on the inside of The Deaf Institute, it was a reminder of why alternative live music continues to matter. For everyone else, missing this tour looked like a mistake that would not be repeated the next time around.
Words and photos: James Smith
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