Spending an hour post-gig scanning the dictionary for superlatives I can use to describe Dream State’s performance at Lost Horizon was a waste of time. The words required haven’t been invented yet.
If we fell in love with vocalist Jessie Powell, guitarist Aled Evans, bassist Jake Bowen, and drummer Tom Connolly back in December as they supported As December Falls at SWX, in what felt like a double headliner, then after Friday, we are fully obsessed.
If you can find a more humble and engaging band, we’d love to hear it. I swear if the band filled Wembley Stadium, Jessie and co would still find time to point & wave at familiar fan faces in the crowd.
Dream State version 2.0 have thrown off the shackles of the past and since rising from the ashes like a phoenix in late 2022 have blazed a trail through the UK post-hardcore/metalcore scene to become a genuine must-see live band.
Friday’s performance at Lost Horizon was phenomenal. One of those rare gigs where the band and the crowd enjoyed a symbiotic relationship for the entire show. Jessie regularly passing off the vocal duties to fans in the front row who were only too happy to oblige. Or standing in the middle of the floor, unleashing one of the best death growls around whilst swallowed up by the circle pit racing around her.
The set whirled by in a haze of flashing lights, mosh pits, and raised fists. The 14-strong set, including encore paying homage to the fans that have been there since the start. And 2nd generation fans that have been caught up in a tsunami of positive energy the band projects.
From the first screams of “Still Dreaming,” the floor was a sea of limbs. Faces desperately screaming back the lyrics, hoping to catch the band’s eye. OG fans losing their minds as 2017’s “White Lies” and tracks from 2019’s album “Primrose Path” melded perfectly with 5 tracks from January’s mini-album “Still Dreaming.”
The band looked genuinely emotional at the response to the new album as the crowd utterly lost their minds to “Chin Up Princess” and fired back every single word of “Anxious State Of Mind.”
With the tour almost entirely sold out, it was a genuine privilege to catch Dream State before the large arenas are fighting amongst themselves to have the band headline.
@thebristolnomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Chief, the one that bugs the team for team for their reviews and images. Creator and founder of The Bristol Gig Guide. Can usually be found swamped in admin or getting cramp kneeling at the front of a gig.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Videography work, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Republica, circa 1996.
First gig shot: Hands Off Gretel, at The Louisiana!
Dream gig: Huge metalhead and my ultimate dream gig would be shooting my heroes Slipknot at a huge stadium gig, or as festival headliners. And to experience shooting a headline tour outside the UK
