Earlier this year, U.K. alternative metal group Sleep Token gained unexpected success with a handful of viral singles. Months later, the band delivered one of the biggest metal releases of the year and sold out the 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena in 10 minutes. On Wednesday, the group embarked on their first-ever headlining tour across the United States and was greeted by a sold-out crowd at El Rey Theatre.

Before Sleep Token took the stage, the crowd got to see rising artist A.A. Williams, who's been quickly turning heads in the U.K. music scene since their 2019 debut. While the artist has been enjoying their first-ever tour in the United States, their show at El Rey Theatre came with an unexpected speedbump as their drummer injured their hand the night before. Wanting to give the Los Angeles crowd a proper show, the drummer decided to play the set with only one working hand, and they didn't miss a beat during the band's 40-minute set.

While Sleep Token are known for masked personas, A.A. Williams had some mystique of their own as the band played under dim blue lights. With a short set time, Williams found a way to touch upon their major releases. The first part of their set focused on their recent studio album As The Moon Rests with "For Nothing," "Evaporate," and "Murmurs" bringing post-rock zest to the 770-capacity venue. The set also featured their newly released cover of Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing," which is both parts heavy and elegant in a live setting. Halfway through the band's set, however, a majority of the crowd engaged in loud chatter that disrupted some individuals in attendance. This didn't deter Williams and their bandmates from silencing the uninterested with their soaring finale "Melt" from their 2020 studio album Forever Blue.

Prior to Sleep Token’s performance, a plethora of fans waited in line to grab whatever was left from the band's merch table. Since their popularity skyrocketed earlier this year, fans everywhere have been trying to get their hands on merch to proudly show off their allegiance to the rising group. As of this writing, a vast majority of Sleep Token's online merch store is sold out except for a couple of shirts.

Sleep Token have toured across the United States twice before. In 2019, they toured alongside Polyphia (who also had a sold-out headlining show in Los Angeles that same night), and they toured with In This Moment back in 2022. Embarking on the first-ever headlining tour can be scary for just about any musician. Fortunately, Sleep Token’s ability to let the music speak for itself got a lot of people talking. People who never gave metal a chance were taken aback by the band’s ambrosial mixture of metal, pop, and R&B.

Upon the opening synth lines of "Chokehold," the eager audience burst into an uproarious approval as Sleep Token arrived. When vocalist Vessel stepped on stage, fans had their hands in the air like they were witnessing the second coming unfold. It's hard to ignore Vessel's overall stage presence; dressed in a black robe, the masked vocalist felt more like a cult leader delivering worship than a singer.

Sleep Token would continue their set with "Hypnosis" from their 2021 sophomore studio album This Place Will Become Your Tomb. During the song's chorus, Sleep Token's bassist had the crowd waving their arms from side to side. With "Rain" and "Aqua Regia," Vessel delivered notes on the piano with the crowd singing along to every word. Some songs did feature a piano backing track, but this was necessary for Vessel to give more attention to the crowd.

On separate occasions, Sleep Token would exit the stage for four various interludes. These recorded segments discussed topics such as protecting identities and personal space, which have been a driving factor in Sleep Token's rise. Since forming in 2016, the band have only done one interview, which took place back in 2017. Slipknot's Corey Taylor compared Sleep Token's anonymous demeanor to his own band's start.

"The Summoning," which earned the band their first-ever charting single in the United States and topped the Spotify Top 50 Viral Songs chart, gained a massive roar from the audience. During the song's musical break, Vessel hovered over drummer II, who unveiled a turbulent drum solo before the track's funk-filled finale. The slow-riding "Granite" was intensified with female vocals played over the speakers, and this wasn't the last time these extra vocals graced the crowd; they graciously worked their way into "Ascensionism." Sleep Token concluded their heavenly set with "The Offering," which delivered a powerful breakdown that could've gone on forever to their fans' liking.

One major downside of the performance wasn't with the venue itself but with its size. When the tour was announced back in April, several fans questioned many of the venue choices due to their size. With several songs on the Billboard charts and their album debuting at number 16 on the Top 200, many believed Sleep Token were too big to headline 700 to 1,000 cap venues, and they were correct. Tickets disappeared seconds after going on sale, which forced the band to add additional stops in certain cities. Fans would head to music festivals across the country specifically to see the mysterious band live for a shortened set. Hopefully, this will be the last time Sleep Token headline small clubs in the country and move onto bigger stages.

Sleep Token setlist

Chokehold

Hypnosis

Vore

Like That

Rain

Aqua Regia

The Summoning

Granite

The Love You Want

Atlantic

Alkaline

Ascensionism

The Offering