LIVE FROM THE PIT: President and TheBoyShadow

It’s Friday night in Leeds, and you can feel the excitement of fans walking up to the Project House. Since bursting onto the scene from a sweaty, overpacked tent debut at Download Festival last summer to sold-out venues across the Atlantic, PRESIDENT is exploding onto the scene as one of metal’s most electrifying new bands. Few bands have sparked as much buzz in such a short time. There was a lot of curiosity in the queue, people talking, trying to figure out what the band would actually be like live, whether the hype was going to be worth it.

Support came from THEBOYSHADOW, the new project from former LOATHE guitarist Connor Sweeney. He left the Liverpool lads back in 2021 and has been quietly working on this for the last four years.

The press release talks about how he faced his demons head-on and channelled them into songs, surrounded by a tight crew of artists who feel more like family. With just their debut single, Give Me A Seam & I’ll Show You The Meaning only out so far, it was hard to know exactly what we were walking into. But once they landed on the Roadrunner roster, you just knew it was going to hit hard.

On paper, it looked like a strange match for the bill, but the brutal, full-on assault they delivered worked a treat. A harsh, spiralling mix of worn-down riffs and unrestrained vocals, it feels right, abrasive, and almost suffocating. Their sound grabs hold, unrelenting, pressing in with a kind of cruel intensity. It makes for a striking and formidable introduction. It added real contrast to the night and built the atmosphere nicely, rather than trying to one-up the headliner. By the time they finished, the crowd was properly warmed up, though a few people still seemed a bit unsure what to make of it all.

Finally, what everyone was here for. All lights in the place were cut out except for a small pink President logo glowing on Mr President’s lectern. Straight away, the crowd lost its massive screams, phones flying up everywhere with the iconic presidential campaign music playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_MijiGiQNI

Opening with Fearless, one of the band's two big breakout singles, the whole crowd was straight away chanting the chorus back at them. Mr President held the microphone out to us, and everyone belted out “Fearless” at the top of their lungs; it was deafening. Leeds was well up for it.The sound hit hard, tight but still raw enough to feel live, not overproduced. The vocals were controlled but still aggressive where they needed to be. The whole anonymous image could’ve come off as a bit gimmicky, but it worked in the room. It added to the tension more than anything. You weren’t just watching a band, you were trying to figure them out while they were playing, and that made it more engaging. Project House suited them perfectly. It’s not a huge venue, but that worked in their favour; it made everything feel louder and more direct.

Covering Change by DEFTONES was interesting and not something people were expecting. The lights went orange, and Mr. President sang his heart out; his vocals were incredible and gave the song justice. It lets you hear what they want their sound to be like through the interpretation of other music.

Not mentioning Destroy me would be wrong, a great metal sing-along, with some brilliant melodic screams, as well as a catchy riff. The emotional wreckage of our masked frontman is what really cuts deepest. The synths used in tracks by PRESIDENT create a unique element about the band, not only making their look distinctive but also their sound. All the live music was on top form.

After a heavy, thought-provoking monologue about sparking a movement and carving out their own sound, Mr. President stood at his lectern like a dark silhouette, slowly pointing out into the crowd before raising his finger to the sky as In The Name Of The Father rumbled in. The whole room felt heavier at that moment, and the pit opened. Leeds really was waiting for this one, eager to sing, and it really didn't disappoint.

The track came out right at the start of PRESIDENT’s rise last summer, and honestly, it still stands as one of their strongest. You’d never have guessed it was their first proper headline show in the UK; the place felt electric from start to finish.

Words: Kieran Atkinson

Photos: Zak Pinchin