Body Count / O2 Ritz / Manchester
A long drive after work to Manchester, for a show I was not going to miss – the chance to see Body Count on their 2024 “Merciless Tour”. What makes this one extra special, is the chance to see Slope for the first time. We arrive in plenty of time at the O2 Ritz, built in the 1920’s as a music hall, and the queues are right up the street. A Metal band featuring Ice-T, its clear to see they draw an enthusiastic audience, with metalheads, hardcore, punk and rap fans all present.
First up in support are German hardcore/funk rock band Slope. We reviewed their single “It’s Tickin” a while ago and were hooked ! We added their early 2024 album “Freak Dreams” to our collection and its been a regular spin ever since.
I was interested to see the audience’s reaction. I think its fair to say they’re probably far better known on the continent than here in the UK, and early on it showed with some polite applause to the opening songs. By the end of the set…. The audience were dancing and shouting for more.
Slope put on a brilliant performance. Their sound is an infectious mix of influences, sounding like The Beastie Boys x Rage Against the Machine x Faith No More. The single It’s Tickin’ was delivered with power and energy, with it’s infectious riffs and beats.
They ended the set with the title track from their latest album Freak Dreams with its delightful funky guitar solo intro, building the tracks presence underpinning the rapped lyrics with a cracking heavy break down.
By the end the audience were right on it and loving it. A great set and I’m sure they’ve won over a whole new audience of fans tonight.
Slope are playing a headline show on 3 October 2024 at the Victoria in London. Don’t miss it – a real special live experience !
A quick turn round on stage, the Slope banner removed and the Body Count one raised, and screens turned as the guitars are given one final tune, before Body Count’s Civil War intro rings out. The Ritz is packed and the crowd are bouncing already.
The band step out into the spotlight and of course, there’s only one track they can start with isn’t there ? As Body Count's in the House starts up they dive into with gusto, as the legendary Ice-T walks out and joins them to a huge roar from the crowd.
The set is nothing short if incredible. Now 65, guitarist Ernie C shreds out some killer riffs backed by Juan Garcia on rhythm guitar, and Vincent Price on bass is an imposing character, and adds a deep hard and heavy tone to the tracks.
Ice-T is on great form, ad his voice feels as powerful and emotive as ever. He has a dominating presence on stage, strutting from side to side, reaching out to the crowd, and regularly emptying bottles of water over us all with a grin on his face.
The setlist is a run through their best known and much loved (and frequently controversial) hits) such as Psychopath, Cop Killer, Born Dead and No Lives Matter. Each one is received with cheers, and the lyrics shouted back towards the stage.
I hadn’t seen Body Count live before and I was surprised by the addition of a number of brilliant covers, starting off with their version of Slayer’s classic Raining Blood / Postmodern. The crowd lapped it up and the guitar work from Ernie was brutally heavy backed by some intense beats from drummer Will Dorsey Jr. Great to see some old school (Scottish) punk there too in the form of Disorder by The Exploited. Both were given Body Counts own unique flavour, and it showed the difference between metal, punk and rap is far closer than you think.
The highlight of the set for me was a stunning version of their hit Talk Shit, Get Shot from the 2014 album “Manslaughter” which includes a sample from Get At Me Dog by DMX. It’s brutal and hard hitting with a powerful message. The intensity of it lifts the energy levels to a whole new level.
As the set comes to an end, we get a cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. I wasn’t expecting this and what a highlight it was, again showcasing Body Counts boundary pushing nature and their motivation to push boundaries. It feels so ironic and funny for Ice T to tell us that they want to deliver something to shock. Having stood through the likes of Cop Killer, Comfortably Numb is a real shock……. And they deliver their interpretation of it brilliantly.
All night the energy levels never dropped once and the crowd were engrossed. The sound is ferocious and brutal and the content is contentious taking on social issues head on, tackling social injustice in a way only Body Count can.
As they say fare well to us, the crowd are shouting, cheering with fists in the air. A show about resistance, breaking social ideals, pushing boundaries, delivered with passion and belief.
And Slope were the perfect foil as well, resulting in a stunning night from start to finish.0
Setlist
Body Count's in the House
Raining Blood / Postmortem (Slayer cover)
Bowels of the Devil
There Goes the Neighborhood
The Purge
Point the Finger
Manslaughter
Necessary Evil
Psychopath
No Lives Matter
Disorder (The Exploited cover)
Drive By
Voodoo
Talk Shit, Get Shot
Cop Killer
Encore
Born Dead
This Is Why We Ride
Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd cover)
