Stygian Bough at Corporation, Sheffield
Support: 40 Watt SunFebruary 8, 2026 at Corporation, Sheffield
With Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin having released the second volume of their collaborative effort Stygian Bough at the end of last year, the prospect of them taking the songs from that album to the stage was a tantalising one indeed. The vast album was ready made to be unleashed live and when they announced they would be hitting the road, for dates with 40 Watt Sun in support no less, the date could not come round quickly enough.
With an extensive jaunt across the UK and Europe, a sold-out Corporation in Sheffield, (a venue familiar to Bell Witch, having decimated the venue back in August 2023) was the destination tonight to see the three members that make up Stygian Bough – Bell Witch’s Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman, and Aerial Ruin’s Erik Moggridge – bring the Volume II album to life.
Before the main event though, it was 40 Watt Sun that kicked off the night in fine style. Fresh off the triumphant return of his previous band Warning, which included an appearance at last years Damnation Festival with the bad closing the festival third stage on the Sunday, Patrick Walker returns to live proceedings as 40 Watt Sun and hypnotises the audience with nothing more than his voice, his guitar, and a series of heartfelt songs.
Despite only playing a handful of songs, Walker portrays the whole gamut of the music of 40 Watt Sun by playing a song from each of the four albums the band have released, apart from the Wider Than The Sun record of which two songs are showcased, and each is delivered with all of Walker’s heart and soul put on full display, and his vocals still sound as powerful as ever as he captivates all the eyes upon him.
Walker is a charismatic performer, at ease with the crowd, entertaining them with a series of stories between songs; and of those songs, it is ‘Pour Your Love’, from 2024’s Little Weight, that resonates the most, its sorrowful but hopeful vibe enchanting the Sheffield audience. The whole set is a triumph for Walker and he departs the stage to rapturous applause with the crowd nicely warmed up for tonight’s main event.
This gig being sold out on a rainy Sunday night is testament to the music of 40 Watt Sun and Stygian Bough, and it was with great anticipation that the latter hit the stage; and when they did the crowd were enthralled from the very start until the last, hypnotic notes buzzed through the expansive speaker system.
Stygian Bough II on record is undoubtedly a fantastic album, but live it grows into something even bigger that transcends its recorded companion as Desmond, Shreibman and Moggridge making the songs sound more expansive and intense as they explore every aspect of the Stygian Bough sound on stage, pushing the PA to its limits with Desmond’s bass sound, in particular, an immense force of nature.
The opening ‘Waves Became The Sky’ kicks things off nicely before an awe-inspiring version of ‘King Of The Wood’ dazzles. Album standout ‘From Dominion’ follows and is transformed into something even huger sounding and affecting in a live setting, and continuing the hypnotic nature of the set in stunning fashion.
‘The Told And The Leadened’ closes things perfectly, with the music building and building until it is unleashed at its conclusion in an almighty cacophony of noise – a brilliant send off to a celebration of Stygian Bough: Volume II.
Tonight, we have been treated to two outstanding sets that, while sonically different, come from the same place in spirit; both 40 Watt Sun and Stygian Bough have shown Sheffield how special their music is, bringing it to life even more in a live setting.
