LIVE REVIEW: Fit For A King, Memphis May Fire, Acres, 156/Silence, Electric Bristol, 23/03/2026
Photo Credit: Anthony Hunt
Bristol Electric doesn’t take long to fill with a certain kind of nervous energy on a good night. From the moment the doors opened for Fit For A King‘s Lonely God tour, it was clear this was going to be one of those nights. A stacked support bill only added to the sense of occasion.
156/Silence opened proceedings with the kind of set that makes you glad you didn’t skip the supports. The Pittsburgh quintet were abrasive and jagged in equal measure, all vein-popping vocals and skronky riffs that rattled the room into life. For those still filtering in from the bar, consider this a wake-up call.
Acres followed, and the shift in tone was stark in the best possible way. Their blend of shimmering post-hardcore and full-blooded breakdowns gave the evening a cinematic quality it hadn’t had before. Front man Ben Lumber‘s emotive delivery was something else — the kind of performance that catches you off guard and leaves you wanting to dig into the back catalogue on the drive home.
By the time Memphis May Fire hit the stage, Electric Bristol felt half the size it actually is. Matty Mullins is a seasoned front man and he knows exactly how to work a room. Pulling the crowd through a setlist that moved between newer cuts like Blood & Water and the fan favourites that had people around us mouthing every word. The pit expanded noticeably during their set, and by the time they closed out, the room was primed.
When the lights dropped for Fit For A King, the anticipation tipped over into something more urgent. Opening with Begin the Sacrifice, the Texans set out their stall immediately — this was not going to be a polite evening. Ryan Kirby is a genuinely exceptional vocalist, moving between guttural lows and clean hooks with a fluency that a lot of bands in this genre still haven’t managed to pull off. Cuts like Technium and Lonely God sat comfortably alongside older heavyweights like Backbreaker, and the crowd responded to all of it.
The pit was relentless from the first breakdown, and crowd surfers kept security occupied throughout. But the evening’s most memorable moment came during Between Us, when phone lights spread across the room and the whole place became something quieter and more communal, if only briefly. It was a genuine contrast to what came before and after — and it landed all the better for it. The encore, Witness the End, brought the chaos back one last time, and the floor obliged.
Fit For A King have been building toward nights like this for a long time. With a line-up that had no obvious weak link and sound quality that did justice to every act on the bill, this was a well-rounded evening from start to finish. Catch this tour if you can!
Words and Photos: Anthony Hunt
