Parkway Drive takes over Manchester’s AO Arena

There are live shows, and then there are nights that feel like milestones and Parkway Drive’s takeover of Manchester’s AO Arena was undeniably the latter, a thunderous celebration of two decades as a band and everything they’ve built along the way. With Thy Art Is Murder igniting the pit in pure chaos and The Amity Affliction pouring heartache into heaviness, the stage was perfectly set for Australia’s reigning metalcore giants to unleash a masterclass in fire, fury and precision. Parkway didn’t just perform; they commanded, transforming the arena into a cathedral of sound and flame where every breakdown felt like an earthquake and every chorus a rallying cry. At times, it felt less like a concert and more like a meticulously crafted spectacle, blink and you risked missing a crucial detail in the band’s almost cinematic display.

First to take the stage were The Amity Affliction, kicking off the night with ‘Pittsburgh’, an instant crowd-pleaser that had the arena shouting along from the first scream. Their signature blend of heartache and heaviness translated well live, though at times it felt like bassist Jonathan Reeves and guitarist Dan Brown did most of the heavy lifting vocally. Joel Birch delivered his parts with passion but seemed more focused on connecting with the crowd, pacing the stage and letting the music breathe rather than driving the performance. Cuts like ‘Death’s Hand’ and ‘Like Love’ landed hard, showcasing the band’s polished dynamic between aggression and melody. They wrapped things up with ‘Soak Me in Bleach’ a fittingly cathartic closer that had fans screaming every line, a reminder that even on an uneven night, The Amity Affliction know how to tap into raw emotion.

Next up were Thy Art Is Murder, who wasted no time turning the AO Arena into a warzone. From the moment they launched into their first song, the energy in the room shifted: pits opened up instantly and the crowd responded with pure aggression. Bringing a different flavour of heaviness to the bill, vocalist Tyler Miller leaned into the contrast as he pointed out that they were the only death metal band on a metalcore lineup, calling it a “death metal sandwich”. The comment drew cheers, but it was the music that did the real talking. Tracks like ‘Death Squad Anthem’ and ‘Puppet Master’ hit with devastating precision, their explosive energy made the whole arena tremble. Every riff felt weaponised, every scream razor-sharp and by the end of their set, the floor had become a storm of bodies: chaotic, brutal and exactly what you’d hope for from one of Australia’s most formidable heavy exports.

As the lights dimmed and a montage flickered across the massive screens containing snapshots of two decades of triumph and sweat-soaked stages and the anticipation inside the AO Arena hit fever pitch. Then, in true Parkway Drive fashion, the band emerged not from backstage but from the back of the arena, walking shoulder to shoulder through the crowd as fans roared around them. It was a goosebump moment that felt part victory lap, part communion with the people who’d carried them here. Reaching the B-stage, they launched straight into ‘Carrion’ and ‘Prey’, both delivered with raw precision and genuine appreciation. But the real explosion came when the curtain on the main stage dropped, revealing a towering, fire-ringed set and a group of dancers as the band tore into ‘Glitch’. Flames, choreography, and sheer force collided in a breathtaking display that made it immediately clear: this was more than a gig, it was a full-scale production.

A few songs in, Parkway Drive dug deep into their early catalogue for ‘Boneyards’, a nod to the band’s ferocious roots that sent longtime fans into a frenzy. Midway through, though, frontman Winston McCall stopped the chaos dead in its tracks as he declared the song “just wasn’t heavy enough”. Moments later, the arena erupted as Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction stormed the stage for guest vocals, joined by Andy Marsh of Thy Art Is Murder on guitar. The result was sheer carnage, a cross-band collision that felt like a love letter to Australia’s heavy scene, met with deafening roars from the crowd.

After the adrenaline subsided and a few more tracks tore through the setlist, Parkway shifted gears into something breathtakingly cinematic. The lights dimmed, the mood turned solemn, and as the first notes of ‘Wishing Wells’ echoed out, rain began to fall, literally, onto Winston McCall, performing alone on the B-stage under a delicate downpour while the rest of the band played from the main stage. It was a haunting, beautiful moment of contrast: fragility in the middle of fire, proving that Parkway Drive’s mastery lies not just in their heaviness, but in their ability to make even an arena feel intimate.

From there, the band took a sharp left turn into nostalgia with a clever surprise, a rapid-fire mashup of tracks from ‘Killing With a Smile’. Winston introduced it with his signature flair, calling it ‘Killing With a Medley, Mashup With a Smile’ a witty nod to the album that started it all. What followed was a furious blur of riffs and screams that paid tribute to Parkway’s early chaos while showcasing just how far they’ve come as performers.

Then came one of the night’s most memorable moments: ‘Idols and Anchors’. As the song kicked off, Winston McCall jumped straight into the crowd, wading into the pit with the same energy he’s had since the band’s early days. In a moment that summed up Parkway’s ethos perfectly, he stopped mid-song to help a fan who had fallen, pulling her up beside him to make sure she was safe before carrying on. By the final breakdown, Winston was lifted and carried back to the stage by the crowd itself, a full-circle moment of connection, chaos, and care that defined everything this anniversary show represented.

As the night edged toward its finale, Parkway Drive continued to raise the bar, both musically and visually. For ‘Chronos’, the band was joined by a live string trio, their sweeping melodies weaving through the thunderous riffs to create something almost transcendent. It added a new dimension to the band’s sound, grandeur without losing grit and showed just how far Parkway’s artistry has evolved beyond their hardcore roots. They closed the main set with a blistering ‘Bottom Feeder’, the entire arena screaming the closing mantra back at the band as pyro erupted across the stage.

But it wasn’t over yet. For the encore, Parkway returned in full spectacle mode. Drummer Ben Gordon took centre stage inside the infamous ‘Cage of Death’ a rotating, flame-wreathed drum rig that spun and twisted mid-air as he delivered a flawless solo, part stunt, part pure showmanship. The inferno led straight into a crushing rendition of ‘Crushed’, the band firing on all cylinders, the crowd feeding off every blast of flame and thunderous breakdown. Then, as the smoke cleared, Winston stepped forward with a grin and said simply, “No tricks needed for this last one”. What followed was ‘Wild Eyes’, stripped of spectacle but full of heart, tens of thousands of voices shouting the final chorus together. It was the perfect ending: no gimmicks, no distractions, just Parkway Drive and their fans, united in 20 years of fire, sweat and connection.

As the final notes of ‘Wild Eyes’ echoed through the AO Arena, it was impossible not to feel the weight of what had just unfolded. This wasn’t just another metal show, it was a celebration of everything that’s kept this scene alive and burning. From The Amity Affliction’s melodic anguish to Thy Art Is Murder’s unrelenting brutality, the openers each brought their own shade of heaviness, perfectly framing what would become an unforgettable headline performance. But it was Parkway Drive who transformed the night into something truly special: part retrospective, part revelation and wholly explosive. Twenty years in, they’ve not only proven their staying power but redefined what heavy music can be on the biggest stages. Manchester witnessed more than a concert; it witnessed a legacy in full bloom.