LIVE FROM THE PIT: Superheaven and Balance And Composure

Outbreak darlings SUPERHEAVEN returned to Manchester with a seismic serenade of feeling. Amongst the polite buzz of this evening's proceedings, right from the moment that the symphonic whirr shook the O2 Ritz at the beginning of their set, it's clear that the Pennsylvania collective wants you to feel their shoegaze sensibilities right at the core of your chest. There's a numbness that comes with wanting to be a part of the moment, oversensitised to the weight of those signature riffs pulling the crowd to-and-fro with the relentless ebb-and-flow of the pit. In this bittersweet bliss, SUPERHEAVEN's grunge-inspired sound is a life raft to a misunderstood generation, let loose on the thrill of losing themselves to brilliantly melancholy music. 

Supports BALANCE AND COMPOSURE are no strangers to the gaze. With 2024’s With You In Spirit, the band returned after nine years with their uniquely bleak brand of folky alt-rock. In a live context, learning towards the cooler tones of this latest record, we don’t know if this translates entirely on stage. The band left a lot of room to fully dissect the texture of the record, with impressive trills and moments that in the UK would not be out of place in The Wicker Man soundtrack. (YOUNG FATHERS 28 Years Later style). When the band decided to get out the autotune, it felt odd and removed from the purity of those honest lyrics. The result was more of an emotional headbanger, no pits needed. Did it build to the energetic fury that followed with SUPERHEAVEN’s set? Not really, but closer Notice Me, was the track that began to bring their set together. It’s a shame that this was a little too late.

Both BALANCE AND COMPOSURE and SUPERHEAVEN, from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, feel uniquely rooted in this sentimental hometown circuit. Their grunge roots scream stark comparisons to NIRVANA and ALICE IN CHAINS for a modern generation. From the claymation visuals projected onto the back of the stage, it is clear that this is going to be a tender set, making their return to Manchester that much more sentimental. 

2025 marked the release of their self-titled debut, evoking a richer, faster-tempoed noise, away from the shoegaze-inspired sound of 2013’s Jar and 2015’s Ours Is Chrome. The set was an almost-even split of all three records, even with the first two albums being over ten years older than their latest release. It was a feely, pulpy mess of the best of SUPERHEAVEN’s work, with their performance taking just over an hour of the Mancunian’s time. 

From the opening chorus of Sponge, the room erupted into smooth movement. In response, the crowd was kinetically wonderful, flowing in time to its steady beat. With riffs hitting so much harder live, it lived up to the well-lived stereotype of going to a rock concert to experience loud guitars. Whilst sounding great, they also could be felt, reverberating the entire room, sending the entire upper mezzanine shaking. 

The next tracks, Leach, Downstring and Cruel Times followed suit in style and feeling. The same could be said for Life In A Jar, until the music stopped quickly to assist someone in the crowd. With several minutes of the band trying to mellow the audience, but also help in the situation, it threw the set off-kilter. The band were clearly shaken, with the band’s Jake Clark clarifying afterwards that “it’s not every day you see someone lying there”, before swiftly continuing their set. 

It took a little while for the band to get back on their feet, several tracks before fan-favourite Youngest Daughter spun the room back into motion. A collective headbanging gave the room that feel-good feeling. As a four-piece, they control the room with ease, with both guitarists, Jake Clark and Taylor Maddison, fronting the band’s sound. Zack Robbins has the ever-impressive job of drumming and providing backing vocals. Whilst bassist Joe Kane was seemingly the only one without a microphone, but their presence provided the emotional pulse of the operation. The strength of the band lies in their awe-inspiring ability to connect with the crowd. 

In bigger pauses, the band fills the room with cinematic rumbling, which pays off fantastically in anticipation of their next song. Towards the end of their set, this seems to pick up the motion of the crowd as the aggressive Numb To What Is Real pushes the pit back immensely far. You’d think, with their legacy at Outbreak, there would be far more two-steppers, but this was more of a high-energy push pit. The dynamic duo of In On It and Poor Aileen, the closer of 2015’s Ours Is Chrome, bring the set to a fitting conclusion. It is clear that SUPERHEAVEN are a band that is built on intention, felt immensely internationally. 

Words: Amber Brooks

Photos: Jack Walsh