Two Generations, One Riff Revolution, Bush and Volbeat Blow the Roof Off the AO Arena
- Matty Bez
- Nov 11
- 3 min read
AO Arena, Manchester, 8th November 2025
WORDS / IMAGES MATTY BEZ
Saturday night in Manchester was one for the books — a no-nonsense, full-volume celebration of riffs, grit, and glorious noise as Bush and Volbeat tore through the AO Arena. For longtime fans, it felt like coming home. For newcomers, it was a wake-up call: this is what real live rock sounds like.
It’s been eight long years since Bush last levelled a UK arena, but you’d never know it from the way Gavin Rossdale hit that stage. The man prowled like a general with something to prove — a grunge survivor reborn in leather and purpose.
They opened with “Everything Zen,” that glorious wall of fuzz still as vital as it was in the Sixteen Stone days. What followed was a lean, hungry run of classics and newer firepower — “Bullet Holes” and “The Land of Milk and Honey” roaring out like battle cries. The crowd’s response was seismic.
Rossdale’s voice — older, rougher, but still carrying that wounded majesty — cut straight through the noise. The final one-two of “Swallowed” and “Flowers on a Grave” was pure catharsis: emotional, defiant, and huge enough to shake the rafters.
Bush might have been the support act on paper, but on that stage? They played like headliners. If there’s a complaint, it’s that the set was criminally short. Forty-five minutes isn’t nearly enough when you’ve waited nearly a decade to scream “Machinehead” in an arena again. Still — better to leave the crowd wanting more. Bush are back, and they know it.
A quick changeover, the lights drop, and boom — fire, smoke, and the unmistakable thud of Volbeat kicking into “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” From that moment, Manchester was theirs.
There’s something brilliantly contradictory about Volbeat: tight as hell yet loose enough to sound like they might blow the roof off at any second. Michael Poulsen grinned like a man who knows exactly how good his band is, his voice slicing through the mix as they powered through “Lola Montez,” “Sad Man’s Tongue,” and “Shotgun Blues.”
Their cocktail of metal, punk, and rockabilly swagger had the place bouncing. Even the seated crowd was on its feet when “Heaven Nor Hell” dropped — that riff’s engineered for movement. Volbeat don’t mess with their formula, but why would they? Every chorus lands, every solo hits like a blade. It’s pure, precision-engineered mayhem.
Two bands. Two eras. One night that proved rock’s pulse is still pounding hard.
Bush brought the heart — nostalgic, human, heavy with history. Volbeat brought the muscle — a masterclass in modern power and showmanship.
Together, they reminded Manchester why rock still matters: because it doesn’t just sound good — it feels alive. And on Saturday night, it was.
SET LIST
The Devil's Bleeding Crown
Lola Montez
Ring of Fire
(Johnny Cash cover) (Only sung first verse and chorus)
Sad Man's Tongue
Demonic Depression
Fallen
Shotgun Blues
In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan's Spawn in a Dying World of Doom
By a Monster's Hand
Heaven nor Hell
The Devil Rages On
Die to Live
Time Will Heal
Black Rose
Seal the Deal
For Evigt
Still Counting
A Warrior's Call / Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza
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