Sleep Theory turn Manchester into a full-volume singalong at The Ritz

Toni Slater
2 hours ago
2 min read

O2 Ritz Manchester – February 9th 2026

WORDS AND IMAGES TONI SLATER

Sleep Theory turn Manchester into a full-volume singalong at The Ritz — Photo Credit Toni Slater

There are queues — and then there are statements. By the time doors opened at Manchester’s Ritz, the line snaked far enough to justify Sleep Theory’s last-minute venue upgrade from Academy 3. Tripling the capacity and still selling out? Not bad for a band on their first trip to the city.

Las Vegas duo The Pretty Wild got the night moving early. Sisters Jyl and Jules Wilde brought chaos, charm and crunch in equal measure, their punchy blend of nu-metal, pop gloss and goth swagger hitting like a shot of adrenaline. For a band with just one album under their belt, they played with the confidence of veterans — dual vocals locking in tight and loud.

By the time Sleep Theory emerged, the room was primed.

Silhouetted against dimmed lights and a hush thick with expectation, the Tennessee four-piece wasted no time proving the hype was justified. This was nu-metal nostalgia retooled for 2026 — heavy but polished, emotional without slipping into melodrama. Phone torches flared, voices soared, and suddenly The Ritz felt twice its size.

Their now-legendary cover of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” landed like a communal in-joke, bassist Daniel Pruitt and guitarist Paulo Vergara piling on backing vocals as the crowd screamed every word back at them. A gimmick this good shouldn’t work — but it absolutely does.

Elsewhere, Sleep Theory toyed with contrast: the crushing weight of “Paralyzed” giving way to the melodic pull of “Stuck In My Head”, while echoes of early-2000s nu-metal brushed up against slick, modern alt-rock. Any lazy “boy band” comparisons were swiftly dismantled — this is muscle music with hooks sharp enough to leave a mark.

A 20-song, 90-minute set pulled from Afterglow — their Billboard-charting debut — alongside a handful of well-judged covers, never once losing momentum. More than anything, it was the devotion in the room that lingered long after the lights came up.

Sleep Theory don’t feel like a band on the brink — they feel like one already halfway through the breakthrough. With a packed European tour underway and festival slots looming (Download included), this Manchester debut felt less like an arrival and more like a warning shot.

Catch them now — before venues like The Ritz become a distant memory.

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