KILLSWITCH ENGAGE PERFORM AT A SOLD OUT MANCHESTER ACADEMY

LIVE REVIEW | KILLSWITCH ENGAGE | MANCHESTER ACADEMY | 9th October 2025 by Nora Toth

On the 9th of October, Metalcore band Killswitch Engage performed at their sold out show at Academy in Manchester, with Decapitated, Fit For An Autopsy and Hatebreed as openers. The band who formed in 1999 has toured the UK countless time and it is not looking like they are stopping anytime soon, performing at huge -some sold out- venues all across the country.

A fully sold out metal show is definitely the best place to be; the constant jumping and screaming, mosh pits and crowd surfers everywhere you look- Killswitch Engage had it all. Every member of the band spent their time going to every part of the stage, interacting with the audience and posing for cameras, singer Jesse Leach even jumped into the crowd at barricade very early on into the show! The crowd was the most packed I have ever seen it at this venue, everyone very clearly loved it and I really hope they come back to play at a bigger venue next time, even the venue security I managed to chat to were shocked at how busy it was!

The setlist itself was laid out very well, upbeat throughout (as expected at a metal show) and a really good mix of newer music as well as old hits. Starting it all off with predominantly ‘newer’ songs, the set got to the classics as the crowd got more rowdy; their “best songs are 15-18th on the setlist“- said to me by a group of very excited older men, ending on ‘My Last Serenade‘ one of their most well known songs from their 2002 album ‘Alive or Just Breathing‘.

I would very much recommend going to one of Killswitch Engage’s shows, even if you don’t know many of their just quite yet, they will leave an amazing lasting impression on you and will leave you feeling sore from all the moshing!