LIVE FROM THE PIT: Wailing Banshee, Rattlesnakes and White Lightning
The south-western city of Bristol is ripe with underground venues, and you would be challenged to find a night without plenty of options fit for a rock enthusiast, but on the night of October 1st 2026, Exchange was absolutely the spot to be for the perfect loud, metal filled night. Three bands would be crammed onto the cozy stage in the basement of the venue, headlined by Manchester formed metal 5-piece WAILING BANSHEE on their All Guns Blazing tour.
Immediately establishing dominance and attention from the humble crowd was WHITE LIGHTNING, donning 80s rockstar apparel and hairdos while expelling the charm, power and confidence to complete the look. The energy was immense right off the bat, with wailing guitars, howling vocals and noisy drums filling the air, and the group ensured total focus upon them with a huge stage presence, all that was really missing was the pyro. There was evident companionship between members during the performance, and all were plenty happy to pose and show off to those with phones or cameras facing them, making for a highly entertaining show. The sustained powerful high notes were abundant, and the crowd were seemingly loving the experience, with the band having achieved the clear goal of making a great impression as the opening band.
It would seem to be a mighty challenge to rival the first supporting act, but RATTLESNAKES would disagree, as they completely filled up the stage with their 5 members with expectant eyes watching. What can only be described as absolute carnage proceeded to unfold on the compact platform as frightening energy beamed from the band. The crowd didn’t take much convincing at that point; the atmosphere was elite. The female-fronted metal act was clearly loving the rush of being on stage, and they were LOUD, with the vocalist being a powerhouse, clearly experienced in the art of falsetto screams. She would often step back to let the guitarists shine with ridiculous solos and synchronised moves, chemistry and talent that was good fun to watch. Not to mention the drumming was tight the whole way through the set, which is no simple job for such an exhausting setlist to play. Most if not all in attendance would agree that both acts were perfect support for what was to come next.
As the stage was set for the final act of the night, the room became hard to traverse, as eager fans lined up to get a view of the stage. Soon enough, the tension in the air was eviscerated as WAILING BANSHEE took to the stage with ferocious screams and shredding guitars collided with powerful drums, as though they were destined to perform on this stage. Vocalist Dani, who had immeasurable control and power in front of the mic, would also slide to the back of the stage to allow the guitars (Al and Harry) and bass (Richie) to rock out without being obscured, however drummer Sean remained tucked away at the back, though his presence was certainly no secret. Considering how humid and sweaty the venue was without throwing one’s body around, it made sense that the group weren’t hugely active for much of the first half of the set, however, as sweat dripped from heads and muscles tensed, the band would only grow more restless. Bassist Richie was particularly wild, usually being the member behind the front trio, but often still the most visible as he rocked with infectious energy.
The tunes were performed excellently and viciously, with only brief moments of recovery between songs, demonstrating the band’s stamina and dedication to giving their all to the show. Deep into the set, Dani called out to the women in the room (in which she acknowledged that most of the room was in fact, not women) and cemented that men have no right to a woman’s body without expressed consent, introducing the song Huntress, which depicts a woman slaying men who violate this fact. The crowd whooped in approval as ice-cold guitar riffing erupted, with not much time left the band were fully switched on, all now headbanging sending locks of hair flying left and right. Before the encore the band called “remember the name, WAILING BANSHEE”, shortly before they concluded the set with bangers To Save The World and The Oracle, a most satisfyingly catchy conclusion to the gig, where each member somehow still had the stamina to remain on top form.
Each band deserve their flowers for giving it their all and sounding fantastic on this unassuming Thursday night, they promised to return soon and that was precisely what we want to hear. They can all be found one last time in Leeds on October 22nd, before WAILING BANSHEE wrap up the tour in Derby and Newton Stewart. Words and Photos: Paul Cutts
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