It’s been a while since we have seen Of Mice & Men playing in Paris. However, they returned to the French capital with a brand new album, Tether, released earlier this year.

As the opening band, Defects had the difficult task of playing in a venue still filling up due to the early set time of 7.30 pm. It was not going to stop them from playing a great set.

Tony Manue, the lead singer, easily alternated between screams and clean vocals and took all the space on stage. The whole band had a wild presence, which was great to see. Manue introduced one of their songs about mental health and how you can “let that shit go” and break this vicious circle, happily acclaimed by a wall of death and a circle pit. 

A short break allowed the crowd to sing their lungs out to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys when it played on the P.A. Then it was time for the next band on the lineup, a rising star: Caskets!

The Cabaret Sauvage was finally getting increasingly crowded, with fans there to welcome the band warmly. Caskets were there to provide an efficient set. Perfectly pitched high notes from lead singer Matt Flood enchanted the crowd, encouraged by all band members.

Their guitarist, Craig Robinson, stepped onto the barrier to sing with the crowd halfway through the set. Many people already knew their songs and loudly sang them while doing circle pits or walls of death. Flood also took a moment to thank the crew, the sound guy, and the photographers because, without them, “we would sound like shit and would look like shit.” Rock’ n’ roll! 

Speaking of rock’ n’ roll… Of Mice & Men have mastered it!

Drummer Valentino Arteaga began playing the set with a ferocious introduction that put everyone on the same wavelength from the outset. Entering the stage with classics such as ‘Bones Exposed’ followed by ‘Would You Still Be There,’ the crowd vividly responded to the songs: horns were out, and voices were loud. More recent tracks were also played, and ‘Castaway’ and ‘Obsolete’ proved to be as much bangers as older offerings. The band has carved out a permanent place for themselves in this scene.

Aaron Pauley was all smiles, which is understandable. He introduced the crowd to his favorite song, ‘Into The Sun,’ from their last album, Tether: a mix of lyrical flights on such complex rock melodies makes the deal. The audience was conquered.

It was then for the timeless ‘O.G. Loko’ on the background of a circle pit before moving on to ‘Bloom’ and a beautiful speech on grief and loss. That moving moment didn’t last too long, as the band was ready to break down the venue with the heavy ‘The Depths’ that started a large, wonderful wall of death.

Were we ready for one more song? An old one, Aaron promised. Of course, it was ‘Second and Sebring.’ What better encore could end this great concert? The whole venue was screaming out, going wild. 

Of Mice & Men had nothing to prove; they are well settled in the hearts of fans, getting better with their music aging like fine wine.

View the full gallery here.