A Night of Pits, Power and Metal
Defects are taking their new material across the UK on a six-date tour, joining French progressive death metal band GOROD and American death metal band Allegaeon. The tour began in Southampton before continuing through Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and London from 8 to 13 September, bringing together three bands with different styles but a shared focus on heavy, energetic live music.
For Defects, the tour comes at an exciting time, with their new album Artificial Icons set for release on 16 October. Produced by Jim Pinder, known for his work with Sleep Token and Bring Me the Horizon, the album marks the band’s next big step, while the tour gives fans an early chance to hear some of the new material live.
The night began with BruteAllies, a Manchester-based thrash/death metal band who opened the show with a strong and energetic performance. They immediately brought a lot of intensity to the stage, delivering a set that was both heavy and engaging. Their aggressive sound and energetic stage presence helped capture the attention of the crowd from the beginning. Songs like ‘Invasion’ and ‘Battlefield’ did a good job of warming up the audience and creating an exciting atmosphere, setting the tone for the bands that followed.
Then it was time for Defects, who brought a huge amount of energy to the stage, and the atmosphere in the room immediately became even more intense. Before the guitar intro to ‘Artificial Icons’, singer Tony Maue brought everyone at the front of the room together and got the crowd clapping. It was a simple way to get everyone involved, but it worked extremely well and set the tone for the rest of the set.
That interaction continued throughout the performance. At one point, Maue asked the crowd to turn on their phone lights and wave them in the air. Looking around the room at all the lights, he simply said, “What I like to see”. Moments like this showed how much the band enjoyed connecting with their fans and how easily they could bring the audience into the performance. But one of the biggest moments came during ‘Critic’, a song from their upcoming album. The track immediately sparked a circle pit, with the crowd throwing themselves into it. It was a great early indication of how well the new material could connect with fans.
GOROD kept that energy going, with ‘We Are the Sun Gods’ proving to be one of the highlights of their set. The band encouraged the crowd to jump, headbang and enjoy themselves, and the audience was more than happy to follow their lead. They also played ‘Forgiveness’, a new single from their latest album, The Ember Gone. The crowd responded well to the track, suggesting that the new album has already made an impression on the band’s fans. Their performance kept the momentum building and left the audience ready for what came next.
Americans Allegaeon took things up another level. The singer was particularly active throughout the set, constantly engaging with the crowd and encouraging them to get involved. The audience responded with plenty of movement, including circle pits during the final two songs. The biggest pit arguably came during the closing track, ‘Proponent for Sentience III – The Extermination’. The crowd matched the band’s energy, and Allegaeon commented on how great it was to see such a large pit. It was a fitting end to another powerful performance.
Overall, all four bands brought plenty of energy to the stage, and the crowd gave just as much back. Allegaeon, GOROD, Defects and BruteAllies each brought something different to the bill, helping to keep the atmosphere strong throughout the night, with each performance adding to an already varied and energetic show.
With Artificial Icons arriving on 16 October via Mascot Records, Defects’ set offered fans a glimpse of what to expect from their next chapter. Alongside the performances from Allegaeon, GOROD and BruteAllies, it made for a night that showcased four bands at different stages of their journeys, but all capable of leaving a lasting impression.