Live Review : Drowning Pool + Spineshank + (hed)p.e. @ Academy 2, Manchester on November 6th 2025

Tonight’s lineup is a dive straight into the early Noughties metal scene and tonight we travel back to that era with three big hitters of that time taking to the stage in Manchester. Drowning Pool, Spineshank and (hed)pe were some of the names you’d see on all the tours, festivals and MTV. As it turns out this isn’t just a nostalgia trip - it’s a reminder of how bands evolve, survive, and sometimes…don’t quite reached the heights they once did.

Special guests and first up are (hed)p.e. and they’re the first sign that this evening isn’t going to be a carbon copy of the past – in their case for the better. Back then it was all rap-metal and turntables, but now it’s a more textured blend of reggae grooves, punk grit, rapcore flow, and flashes of that original nu-metal bounce. Jared Gomes is still at the helm, and he’s magnetic - vocally aggressive, physically commanding, and clearly loving every second. The crowd responds in kind with not just a pit of chaos but actual dancing. The set pulls from across their catalogue, old favourites, sometimes reworked, with newer tracks fitting right in too. It’s got the groove and swagger you expect, but with more bite and maturity than ever before. They get better and better, especially as a live act, and hopefully we’ll get to see Jared and the crew many more times in the future.

Then Spineshank take the stage, and things unravel quickly. There’s a wall of low-end feedback (possibly from the bass, drums, backing vocals…who knows) and it causes havoc with the first track at least. Add to this frontman Jonny Santos is missing (passport issues), though the stand-in is doing as good a job as can be expected, and it’s a shambolic start to the set. Things improve slightly by the second track, but it’s still hard to pick out the actual tunes. When they do get going the backing track is overpowering, guitars are either absent or flickering in and out, and the it continues to be a real disappointing showing. It feels like karaoke versions of their own songs, and the mix doesn’t help. Even if the vocalist were here, he’d be fighting a losing battle against a sound desk that seems to be on work experience. In a scene where bands like Graphic Nature are setting new standards, this just doesn’t hold up to the quality we can expect and see now, which is a real shame for us nostalgic Noughties nu-metallers.

Drowning Pool close the night, and the energy lifts again. The room’s still packed, and there’s a clear sense that this is actually the band most people came for. There’s a touch of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains in the melodic moments, with hints of Alter Bridge. Once the sound settles, the mix is decent, though the vocals sit a bit too high and everything else feels slightly compressed. Ryan McCombs fronts the band again at this point (as well as fronting SOiL) with a voice that’s bigger than his frame. It’s rich and soaring one moment, then jagged and gritty the next. It’s a dynamic delivery that suits and mirrors all their material and style well. Alongside his vocals we have riffs that are familiar, delivering their alternative metal with a nu-metal twist, and they land with ease. Guitarist C.J. Pierce is a box of delights, a real character, throwing shapes, pulling emotive faces and clearly enjoying himself. The crowd’s into it throughout - bobbing, moshing, and singing along to every lyric. They close with ‘Bodies’, of course, and it hits exactly as it should be with a proper dancefloor filler, even now.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Drowning Pool + Spineshank + (hed)p.e.