Marilyn Manson, Manchester Apollo. 4th November 2025

We need a caveat up front here don’t we. You might be reading this in disgust if you hate Manson and what he’s accused of. You may also be disgusted that I’ve started with this caveat and not the music, believing Manson to be innocent. Everything’s black and white these days apparently. I’d be lying though if I hadn’t thought twice about coming tonight and truthfully I only really came because I got a cheap ticket. That and I do like the music. If I avoided every artist that did or said something stupid, abhorrent or illegal, I’d severely restrict my gig calendar, there seems to be a lot of troublesome artists about. Plus, let’s face it, Manson has always been a cunt. So I’m here really to see if I’m still entertained… and the latest record isn’t too bad. It’s not up to the 90s standard, when I first saw them play (it’s not one bloke), but it’s better than the last time I was in a room with them in the early naughts, when the music was poor and the live experience terrible. What will it be like tonight? Well it’s sold out for starters and the queue to get into The Apollo is the biggest I’ve ever seen! This is a very different band too. Only Manson remains, the cast has changed a lot over the 30 years he’s been doing this. Make of that what you will. There are different types of gigs of course, the communal, big singalongs, the transcendental, that whisk you off to another place. This one is the spectacle, but is that enough? The first thing that strikes me is how small The Apollo feels tonight. There are some big arenas on this tour, but not Manchester and it feels quite intimate. This is good though and almost takes me back to Manchester Academy in ‘96. That we’ll see though was a very different time. As the cheap velvet curtain that’s draped the front of the stage drops, it’s clear this is where he belongs. That star power hasn’t faded, in his eyes at least. Preening and attacking the mic as a barrage of lights are set to stun and smoke jets punch the sky. It’s like Top of the Pops dialled up to 11 as neon fog rolls into the crowd. It looks great, ‘Nod If You Understand’ is mediocre though. ‘Disposable Teens’ is a bit better. It apes riffs that predate it, but it does pump the crowd up as the heat rises and Manson sheds some layers. “Manchester let’s take it back to 1996” he declares as ‘Angel With The Scabbed Wings’ gets a big cheer. The band sound good and more importantly the voice is there. There’s a surprising range in that vocal when you really listen and I’m relieved to hear that it’s holding up live. ‘One Assassination Under God’ is another new one, it’s slower and the atmosphere drops, but it sounds good and suits latter day Manson. It might not be the best song live, but I appreciate that it’s likely where he feels most comfortable. There’s a nod to each era, if not every album, but the choices are largely good. Fan favourites like ‘This is the New Shit’, with its call and response lyrics and nu metal bounce, it’s very effective and wakes up the crowd that have been a little static. Give me the grit of songs like ‘The Reflecting God’ though. I suspect it depends where you are in the room, as to how you think this gig went. It’s generally pretty calm from midway on the floor space back. The front looks a bit more energetic as you’d expect, but it’s songs from Antichrist Superstar unite everyone. There’s a bit of indulgent dicking around on the intro to ‘Sacreligeous’ to allow a subtle costume change and honestly I get a bit bored, as do quite a few around me. Manson undeniably looks great though, after another change into an electric blue fluffy jacket, as the glam rock swagger of ‘The Dope Show’ explodes with a slow sexy singalong. There’s then a final dip into One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1, with ‘As Sick As the Secrets Within’. It’s okay, but just okay. The record is worth a listen if you’re a fan that’s not heard it yet, but live these songs struggle a bit against the punchier back catalogue. The difference in response to the cover of ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) is huge. It’s a great song, but feels dated. Surely they don’t need to be doing covers anymore, but perhaps this one is expected. It certainly brings out a sea of phones, but I can’t help but raise an eyebrow to some of the nerve hitting lyrics. ‘mOBSCENE’ gets its own lighting rig as Manson dons a bowler hat and hams it up a little more. I’ve not heard this in years and I don’t think I’ve missed it, with its cheerleader backing vocals and clunky lyrics, it’s Manson leaning too far into the caricature. ‘Beautiful People’ really is the high water mark tonight. It blows everything else away. That filthy riff and Numan synth. The place goes nuts as we reach the encore and ‘Tourniquet’ really should go off at this point, but it’s not really a banger is it. It’s a great song but it plods pace wise and although Manson is still giving it his all, he does look a little disappointed with the lacklustre response. ‘Coma White’ closes brilliantly though. Flurries of dust drift down from the ceiling, creating quite a cinematic spectacle. It’s the perfect come down… even if I didn’t get that high. I said I was here to see if I’d still be entertained and I was, mildly. This is no longer shocking or exciting though. It wasn’t a bad gig, but it does feel like going through the motions, rather than being something vital, exciting, dangerous. Some fans reading this that were attending tonight might disagree and say he sounds good, he looks good, there’s enough old favourites to make the set work and that’s fair, but I don’t think I’ll be back to watch Manson again.