Live Review : Svalbard + Cage Fight + Knife Bride @ Rebellion, Manchester on November 20th 2025

Svalbard may well cover unsettling subject matters, but they always had an element of joy about them. The music they choose to accompany their treaties on depression and isolation has consistently had a euphoric element to it. It uplifts as opposed to grinding down the listener. Whilst Serena Cherry cheekily welcomes us to their funeral, tonight's final performance in Manchester before they call it a day, has an air of celebration as opposed to commiseration. Serena herself is positively bouncy and comes across as being in a particularly healthy state of mind. It is obvious they are very proud of everything the band has achieved, but that they are also very aware of when to step away. As Serena declares midway through the show, “We are ending like we started, with passion in our hearts and no money in our bank accounts”. 

As well as having been a stonking good band, Svalbard have seen themselves as trailblazers kicking down the last remaining bastions of gender stereotypes left in our music. Even in their death throes, they are providing a platform for other bands looking to redefine the image of women in metal. Both supports just so happen to have lead vocalists with two X chromosomes, or as Cage Fight sarcastically frames it, are male-backed metal. 

Knife Bride are currently riding a rather impressive wave of interest in their brand of ‘Nu-Gothika’. Live, they are a blur of razor-sharp riffage and atmospheric vocals. Influence wise it is all over the shop as they pull in snippets from across modern metal. In many ways, that is its unique and highly enjoyable selling point. It feels fresh and innovative because it doesn’t settle in one particular pigeonhole. Instead it comes across as confident enough in its own abilities to pick and mix all over the shop, building a sound both familiar and enticingly out of step with the norm. Very much one to watch.

Cage Fight, as it says in the name, or indeed fighters. Their prestigious name guitarist James Montelith (of Tesseract and influential metal PR company Hold Tight) is not out with them on this tour due to life invariably getting in the way. Instead, Bassist Will Horseman has upgraded to 6 strings and technician Dave is on Bass. Now in many ways, this is the ideal solution as it allows them to remain on the road. But Will is a very different guitarist to James, whilst their sound remains jarring and very much aimed at the jugular, it misses some of that precise precision playing that is James's virtuoso selling point. However, we shouldn't kick Will too much as he too has very much been through the wringer himself. Due to one of those things that happens in a pit he dislocated his knee the previous night in Glasgow and is fresh from an overnight stay, courtesy of Glasgow Royal A&E. He plays the show while sat on a stool with his damaged ligament rested on a dining room chair. So whilst it may not quite measure up to his bandmates musical magnitude, he wins all the plaudits for just being here in the first place.

The glorious things about seeing Cage Fight on multiple occasions is watching Rachel Aspe grow into her role as the key focus point for the band. She has long since graduated from simply being the singer in James Monteith’s other band, to being Cage Fight personified. This evening she is absolutely astonishing. Dressed like an evil flamenco dancer, she flounces across the stage with malignant intent. You cannot take your eyes off her as she contorts and flagellates herself across the performance space. She doesn't just provide vocals, she lives and breathes every track bringing them to life in a visual cacophony of flailing limbs and graceful steps. Alongside her presence, her vocal range is also absolutely impeccable. She moves from growls to grunts and then to squeals. She pours gallons of passion into the creation of coarse and grinding noises that perfectly offset the intensity of the music. A brilliant example of pushing through adversity.

It feels rather weird to be waving goodbye to them at this precise point, as Svalbard never been as good as they are tonight. It may be that the weight of expectation has lifted from their collective shoulders, as we witness a much more focused but also freer band this evening. They are visibly all enjoying themselves tremendously and that translates itself into the quality of the performance. They burn off the stage with an emotional intensity, and it is obvious that the emotive honesty brings numerous people within the packed Rebellion to tears. Serena is in particularly chatty form. She stops after every song to tell us how chuffed she is that we have all come out tonight to celebrate their demise or to big up the scene in Manchester. She speaks of visiting the city as a teenager to see wrestling at the (then) MEN Arena and how all the Slipknot and Korn hoodies gave her the impression that this was a metal paradise.

However, it is not just her sparkling demeanour that is striking about Serena this evening; her playing and vocal range are also on top-notch form. She hurls her guitar around like a baton twirler, regularly hoisting it into the air and over her head. Vocally, she flits from harsh to soft without a second thought.’Open Wound’ from their miraculous third album “When I Die, Will I Get Better?” is extraordinary in its fragility. Her voice exudes vulnerability, and you are swept up in the heady atmospherics of the track. But when she is called upon, she can be harsh and brittle, spitting out the words as if they were venomous poison. She sports for the entire gig a massive grin which feels a juxtaposition to the nihilistic nature of the tracks. The mid-set trio of ‘Throw Your Heart Away’, ‘Lights Out’ and ‘For the Sake of the Breed’ are described as a depressive trilogy. But as always, there is a beauty in the bleakness, and the tracks soar in their insular melancholy. 

Tonight is all about leaving on a high. They are determined to be remembered for their brilliance rather than a damp squib of an ending. There is, however a rather unintentional comedic moment when Liam and Matt fall out over the cause of an annoying noise, just as Serena is eulogising about them all remaining friends until the end. But technical mishaps aside, they are just absolutely astonishing, and there is a bereft feeling in the room when we suddenly hurtle into the last track. Serena yet again wears her heart on her sleeves, describing how it is about fallen heroes like Joey Jordison. The euphoric reverence within the venue means that they can't leave us there and they return for one final salvo. ‘Grayscale’ is a fitting conclusion as it comes from the very start of their career. It creates a massively poignant full-circle moment as we say our final salutations to a band that has meant so much to many of the people here tonight. You can be deeply cynical and say that they will re-emerge at some point in the future when it made fiscal sense, but the point is we have lost an act who have brought a real emotional reality to a sometimes quite an emotionally stunted genre. The honesty they showed in their songwriting will indeed live on even if the band is no more. RIP Svalbard, it’s been a blast.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Svalbard + Cage Fight + Knife Bride