Sleep Token are currently on tour in support of their latest album Even In Arcadia. In just a few years they went from playing Webster Hall to Radio City and now Barclays Center.Every single show is sold out—and every single show on their two previous tours were sold out as well. Thus, those of us who gathered in Brooklyn were in for a treat.
Here are just a few reasons why fans are obsessed with Sleep Token and why you might have not been able to get a coveted ticket at to the shows.
The Music of Sleep Token
Often called “genre-bending”, Sleep Token’s music is layered, mixing equal parts metal, pop, R&B and so much more. The opener of their set “Looking To Windward” has ebbs and flows that set the tone for the rest of the night. While it starts slow, it unravels as the music climbs to a heavy ascent.
Let’s call their music genre-fluid? Genre is pretty insignificant when it comes to describing their sound.
Vessel the Singer of Sleep Token
Remaining anonymous, every band member is called Vessel 1, Vessel 2 and so on. The singer dubbed Vessel (1) has a rich voice that adds to his masked mystery. The secrecy adds to the lore of the band and the singer, fans prefer it that way.
There’s no banter onstage, the band shows up, performs and leaves it all out there. But the charisma remains, they don’t take themselves too seriously. (We even like the little one-legged hop Vessel does onstage when things amp up in breakdowns of songs like “Alkaline” and “Hypnosis”).
That Voice with Those Lyrics
Vessel showed off his chops in melodic songs like “Rain” ranging from deep and full-bodied moments to incredibly delicate falsettos. It’s not just catchy music and don’t let the mask fool you, this man can really sing.
Fans belted out song after song throughout the night. During the track “Emergence” fans waited for the part where they could go “whoop” (see above, it’s extra fun to do live). There are so many extra touches to the music and lyrics that are magnified when Sleep Token performs live.
In the song “Provider,” a favorite off of their new album, Vessel croons, “I wanna be your provider / Your guiding hand, your final decider / That bit of fuel to your fire, stoke your desire / Just let me know that you’re mine.” We were putty in his hands.
The level of vulnerability and rawness Vessel sings with makes him baby-girl coded, and he probably knows it.
The Set & Lighting
Unlike the previous tours in NYC, the set at Barclays Center looked like a Stone Temple, a fitting home for an ancient entity like Sleep Token. The moody red and blue lighting enhanced the sultry sinister aura of the entire set.
The lasers that filled the arena during songs like “The Summoning” and other tracks performed, from their previous album Take Me Back To Eden, was a sight to behold.
It’s Just A Damn Mood
One of their most popular songs off of their recent album “Caramel” has a drum pattern often found in reggae and Caribbean music. Their music had fans at Barclays dancing, screaming and crying. It wasn’t just a mood, it was all the moods.
Some Sleep Token fans might call themselves “worshippers” but this performance wasn’t church-y. Is can be spiritual for some, maybe? But all great music has at least a little bit of soul to it. And with Sleep Token there is a lot of soulfulness…and a good amount of metal too.
Bonus: Another reason we were obsessed with this tour in particular, was due to the supporting act Thornhill. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Thornhill was a perfect opener mixing heaviness and addictive melodies. They certainly gained some Sleep Token fans in NYC!
