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My Weekend at Hammerfest II

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Friday morning, it’s 9am and the car is full of petrol, beer and food. The SatNav is fully charged and Chimp Spanner is blasting out of the stereo… the road trip to Hammerfest II had begun! The journey flew by and before I knew it I was checking in at Pontins, Prestatyn and heading to my home for the weekend. Now it wasn’t exactly Buckingham Palace but it was far better than a tent could ever be; and besides, it had a fridge to keep the beer cold!

With food and beer successfully loaded into the fridge, obviously whilst sampling one of the tasty beverages just to make sure it was worthy of such an occasion, it was time to go and find the pub! The Queen Victoria was found with ease and the Welsh beer was sampled, well, Murphy’s Irish Stout which is about as Welsh as Haggis but delicious all the same! The Queen Vic, conveniently enough, also turned out to be the venue of Stage 3!

Echovirus kicked off the day’s proceedings with a ferocious set of melodic death metal, a touch of the nerves to begin with but were soon shook off and forgotten. Man must Die were either insanely terrible or I didn’t see them as I have absolutely no recollection of them whatsoever… and I wasn’t drunk, not at that point anyway! Onto Sondura, now if it was 1997 I probably would have loved this band but its 2010 and, despite being very good at what they do, they are 10 years too late. On further research they cite Nickelback as an influence… enough said! It was also at this time that I was fortunate enough to meet up with many of the good people from the twitterverse, wonderful people, one and all! Which brings me nicely, in no specific way whatsoever, to the next band up – No Made Sense.  Reading’s Dark Progressive Metallers blew the previous bands clear out the water, an awesome display had the entire crowd mesmerised throughout their tight, explosive set.  A definite highlight of the weekend, 2010 could well be their year!

A brief refrain for food and a couple of home beers before the evening’s entertainment began! Xerath were up first on Stage 2, I’d had the pleasure of meeting the Xerath guys earlier and they were a thoroughly good bunch of chaps! Their music was pretty good too, self styled “Orchestral Groove Metal” with more than a hint of Meshuggah and Strapping Young Lad thrown in the mix along with Dimmu Borgir atmospherics. Savage Messiah followed, now if I had to use one word to describe them it would be ‘Megadeth’, fast paced thrash metal. They were extremely good at it too; I draw the comparison with Megadeth as a compliment as these guys can seriously thrash out a song!  Another highlight was to come next from Reading’s Malefice, the brutal grooves and crushing riffs set Malefice apart from their peers in the British Metal scene. Their set was no less impressive, the crowd chanting their name throughout, forming circle pits and generally unleashing hell in the pit. This didn’t go unnoticed by the band with plenty of praise heading down from the stage as well as up to it.

A short saunter over to Stage 1, via the bar of course, to catch the remainder of Swedish gothic doom metallers Katatonia. It’s not music that you can dance to but they still manage to put on a great show and the nodding heads of the crowd seemed to agree! DevilDriver rock up next, I saw them twice last year at Download and Rock City and was blown away by both shows so I was expecting more fireworks at Hammerfest. I wasn’t disappointed, Dez is a master at working the crowd and it wasn’t long before the first circle pit was demanded! They ripped through the classics and even threw in a couple of unexpected tracks at the end of the set!  Five Finger Death Punch headlined Friday with a set as ferocious as Ivan Moody’s stares… Their rise has been nothing short of spectacular, in two short years they have gone from support act to headlining one of Europe’s major festivals! They rattled through tracks of both albums before Ivan won a bet against Dez from DevilDriver…  Dez bet $100 Ivan couldn’t get the crowd to go crazier than they did for DD, a 1000 strong ‘Wall of Death’ put paid to that bet!  Napalm Death rounded off the line-up on Stage 1 for Friday with their original brand of grindcore metal! Then it was back to the chalet for a few more cheeky beers…

Saturday arrived with the inevitable fuzzy head but Berocca and a bite to eat soon sorted that out!  First order of the day was Rise to Remain; I got their EP from Metal Hammer the previous month and liked what I heard so I wanted to hear their live performance! They were good, damn good. Not the finished article yet but they definitely have the ability to become a great band!  Fury UK followed with a set full of melodic metal with a touch of prog mixed in too, they were well received by the crowd and definitely looked as though they were having fun! A trip to the pub then ensued for a hair of the dog… returning to Stage 2 for the phenomenal set by LA’s White Wizzard putting the metal back into metal! With shredding guitars, thunderous beats and the screaming demon vocals, it’s old school metal at its best and surprisingly refreshing! I was then transported back to the late 90’s, Panic Cell a band that have been on the verge of being huge for more than a decade but just don’t seem to be able to break through that final barrier… A solid set and a couple of bottles of Jager for the crowd went down well!

On the way to the shop we bumped in Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers, who’d have thought Darth Vader was from Yorkshire… Back at the chalet for a delicious round of sausage sandwiches, a few more cold ones and a spot of rugby before heading back to Stage 1 for the mighty Skindred. The highlight of the weekend for sure, Skindred were immense. Benji working the crowd as only he can, what a front man! It must have been an incredibly sight, the entire crowd bouncing through the whole performance. They were joined by members of Forever Never and Panic Cell for the finale ‘Nobody’.  Iced Earth followed, I tried, I really tried to like them but I just don’t them. I know this may leave me in the minority but I just had to get that out…

Now comes a real highlight, Suicidal Tendencies, a band I have listened to for years and I never thought I would get to see them live… A stunning performance, the energy was brutal, Mike Muir was on fine form. What a way to end an amazing weekend of music! I didn’t hang around for Sabaton, i left the arena in a daze with a huge smile on my face!

What I loved most about my weekend at Hammerfest was the atmosphere, there was no pretence, bands and fans alike walked the floors all having a great time. The only scene there was if you walked to the beach and looked out over the sea…

A great, great weekend I will never forget!

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Mastodon and Totimoshi at Rock City, Nottingham

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Totimoshi opened the show with their brand of angst alternative rock with a sound akin to early Nirvana and the Melvins.  We were given a tiny hint of the visuals to come as Totimoshi was emblazoned across a huge led video screen along with imagery of a Mayan temple. Whilst they were warmly received by the crowd, they were what they were… the warm-up for the spectacle that was to come.

The lights dimmed and we were flying through space…

The opening notes of Oblivion sent the crowd into raptures as Mastodon introduced themselves to the masses at Rock City, Nottingham. The giant video screen behind the band changed from the stars flying through space to imagery taken from and inspired by the Crack the Skye album.  Straight into Divinations without a word or a break, Mastodon are all business and this business is good, very good!

Mastodon continued the blitzkrieg of songs from the Crack the Skye album, Quintessence, The Czar, Ghost of Karelia, Crack The Skye, The Last Baron with the visuals continuing throughout displaying black and white Rasputinesque monks, flames, bears, skulls, snakes, maniacal laughter, and old Beelzebub himself making a brief appearance, all intertwined with the colourful imagery from Crack the Skye. Not a word was spoken as they played through the whole album but then words weren’t needed, no introductions necessary, this is Mastodon!

A mini break ensued as the keyboards were moved the side but the band soon returned and there was no let up in the intensity… They launched into Circle Of Cyquatch, quickly followed by Aqua Dementia, Mother Puncher and Where Strides The Behemoth.  The visuals now changing to the relevant album covers to which the songs come from; Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Remission. Iron Tusk and the massive March of the Fire Ants rounded out the amazing set bring to a close one the most sensually intense gigs I’ve ever seen.

I have seen hundreds of shows over the years but the intensity from the band was immense and the bombardment of the senses both aurally and visually made this one of the best shows I have ever seen, if not the best! A bold statement, I know… If you get chance to see Mastodon live, do it, you will not be disappointed…

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Evile, Warbringer and The Fading at Rock City, Nottingham

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

I came to terms with my, shall we say, folically challengedness years ago, that was until last Thursday’s show at Rock City in Nottingham. Not since the first days of bald realisation did I wish for the return of my long flowing mane of hair from my youth! The show in question was the Infecting Nations Tour bringing a night full of neck snappingly awesome Thrash Metal from Evile, Warbringer and The Fading.

Never having heard of The Fading before the show, I was interested to hear what they had to offer. The boys from Israel duly delivered… stage presence, fast heavy riffs, and above all, a serious dose of metal! A band definitely worth catching live if you get the chance!

Warbringer took to the stage next, brash, in your face, good old American Thrash Metal… Lead singer, John Kevill was full of his usual sneers and hand gestures along with the hair brigade of axemen, John Laux and Adam Carroll and the beatmaster general Nic Ritter. A special mention here to Elad Manor of The Fading who has been filling in on bass for Warbringer’s Andy Laux since the beginning of the tour! Highlights from the set were “Living in a Whirlwind”, “Severed Reality” and “Total War”.

It’s now time for the headliners, Evile! Before they began, frontman, Matt Drake took a few moments to remind the crowd of the band’s loss with the sad passing of Evile’s bass player Mike Alexander last year but also to introduce the new man in the fold, Joel Graham. The moment of reflection over, the music begins… “Infected Nation” the stunning opener from their latest album, Infected nations. The show continued with a mixture of songs from both Evile albums “First Blood”, “Killer From The Deep”, “New Demolition”, “Nosphoros”, “We Who Are About To Die”, “Thrasher”, “Time No More”, “Schizophrenia”, “Bathe In Blood”. The set ended with the immense anthem “Enter The Grave”, the crowd, in between head bangs, singing along with the chorus!

The smile rarely left the face of Joel Graham during set, seemingly loving his new role in Evile as were the rest of the band! Ol and Matt Drake were both frequently smiling to the crowd with Matt thanking the fans for turning out and sharing the wish to return to the main stage again. Despite the turbulent times the band had faced they seemed to be back where they are happiest, on stage playing live shows for crowds of head banging metalheads!

My first show of 2010 and what a cracker! The volume was turned to 11 and the hair was flying, i even forgot that I wasn’t supposed to be drinking in January… If the rest of the shows this year are half as good as this then it’s going to be a great, great year!

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Alice in Chains at Rock City, Nottingham

Monday, December 7th, 2009

It must be the year for regressing to an angry teenager… So far this year I have seen many bands from my more carefree years; Faith No More, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Staind and Massive Attack but last night was the crowning glory! After the death of Layne Staley and, thereafter, the band’s indefinite hiatus I never thought I would see Alice in Chains live.

So, imagine my delight as I read that Alice in Chains had recruited and new singer and were recording a new album and with that possibly touring! Then that day came, I saw they were touring, no Nottingham date but Birmingham would do! With one thing and another, the ticket was never purchased. I thought I had missed my chance but it was a blessing in disguise as no sooner had I given up hope of seeing one of the seminal bands of my youth, they announced a few extra dates – Rock City was among them! I wasted no time this time and bought tickets there and then…

Two months later it was time for the show… I was so excited, I couldn’t wait! Even the woeful support couldn’t dampen my enthusiasm. After 35 minutes of me trying my hardest not to chew my own ears off the stage was cleared, the anticipation was growing as was the crowd. The show had long been sold out and Rock City was packed to the rafters as the lights finally dimmed and Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, Sean Kinney and William DuVall entered the stage.

They began with a medley of old classics including “Again”, “Them Bones” and “Damn That River” with the crowd singing so loudly they could be heard over the PA system! The shivers ran down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as they began to play, it was nostalgic and emotional to say the least hearing those songs again but this time live in front of me… Songs from the latest album followed with DuVall joining Cantrell on guitar, “Your Decision”, “Check My Brain” and “A Looking in View” interspersed with “No Excuses”.

The show then took an acoustic feel, complete with stools and cigarettes! “Down In A Hole!”, “Heaven Beside You”, “Got Me Wrong” and “Black Gives Way To Blue” which Cantrell tribute to Staley. With the acoustic guitars put away the set continued with more old favourites and new songs mixed together, “God Am”, “Acid Bubble”, “Angry Chair” and “Man in a Box” with “Lesson Learned” rounding off the main set. Alice in Chains returned for the encore with “Would?” and the epic “Rooster” again the crowd were louder than the PA and Cantrell to out an earpiece to listen to the crowd with a huge grin on his face…

William DuVall had huge shoes to fill but he successfully picked up the mantle left from Staley’s death. DuVall’s presence, voice and guitar playing made him seem as though he had been in the band from the beginning without diminishing the legacy of Layne Staley.

It was a show that had taken 15 years for me to get to and I loved every minute of it. It will stay with me for a long time and is right up there with the best shows I have ever seen, if not the best!

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Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Every Time I Die and MATSOD at the O2 Academy, Birmingham

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

After a harrowing journey, which included the death of a SatNav, a torrential down pour, a few flakes of snow and a co-driver that self-proclaims to be utterly rubbish at navigating, we arrived at the O2 Academy in Birmingham for the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour…  Unfortunately, we had already missed Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and, to my utter dismay, all but one song by Every Time I Die! To rub salt into an already painful and festering wound, I was charged £7.40 for 2 pints of shit beer…

So, after loudly proclaiming never to return to the second city again I found my vantage point and began the wait for In Flames. I’ve got a couple of CD’s by In Flames and have enjoyed them but they have never really grabbed my attention to be a regular visitor to my playlist.  However, I was eager to see and hear what they brought to the stage. I wasn’t disappointed, from the moment the lights were dimmed and the intro music began to the final song it was a brutal wave of metal delivered by 5 guys that live for this, heart and soul given on every shredding riff and pounding drum beat! I will be giving those CD’s another spin just to see if I missed something… If you get a chance to catch them live, do it!

The stage was cleared revealing the huge screens at the back for the Killswitch Engage set. The anticipation was building, the pit was filling and finally the lights dimmed… Killswitch entered the stage, all suitably attired in the same faux white dinner jacket t-shirts, to the Benny Hill theme tune! Adam D. was also wearing his, now traditional, cape but not the Mexican wrestler’s mask I saw him wearing at Download. These guys don’t mess around (well actually that’s not true… if you’ve seen them live you’ll understand!) they opened with “My Curse”. Cue the pit going crazy and the kids flying into the air, surfing! There was no let up in the songs or the energy and passion from the Killswitch boys… During “A Bid Farewell” the crowd were singing so loud that Howard Jones seemed to be taken aback and let them serenade him a couple of times, he seemed genuinely humbled by the moment.  The onslaught continued through “The Arms of Sorrow”, “Reckoning”, “Take Me Away” amongst others.  A highlight of the Download set was a then new track called “Starting Over”, I liked it then, it owned on the new record and it blew me away last night! The four, front of stage, band members were all constantly moving around the stage and hopping onto the podiums placed at either side, playing and interacting with the crowd!  “Rose of Sharyn” and “The Forgotten” followed before the crowd went berserk as the intro to “My Last Serenade”, a personal favourite of my after hearing it for the first time in my friend’s car on the way to band practice back in 2002! “The End of Heartache” rounded off the ferociously stunning set!  Killswitch came back on to perform the Dio classic “Holy Diver” for the encore, what a way to end the show!

I’d like to take this moment to wish Ronnie James Dio a quick and speedy recovery after recently being diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’m sure we all look forward to seeing him onstage again in the future!

Killswitch entered the stage, all suitably attired in the same faux white dinner jacket t-shirts! Adam D. was also wearing his, now traditional, cape but not the Mexican wrestler’s mask I saw him wearing at Download.

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Billy Talent, Cancer bats and Canterbury at Rock City, Nottingham

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

We walked through the door as Canterbury were belting out one of their tunes, I was taken aback by their confidence, ability and how young they were! These guys were younger than Youmeatsix, and that takes some doing… However, they were good, playing catchy, sing along pop/rock tunes with echos of Youmeatsix and Enter Shikari but a little less edgy. One for the future for sure!

Cancer Bats hit the stage next, all beards, long hair and riffs… Despite hailing from Toronto, Canada these guys could easily sit alongside Down in the NOLA style even so far as to say that they look like Down but 20 years younger… The grinding riffs of Scott Middleton matched by the bass tones of Jaye R. Schwarzer accompanied by the beats of Mike Peters. Liam Cormier Joined his band mates on stage and the onslaught began… Highlights from the set were Lucifer’s Rocking Chair and Pneumonia Hawk. A band definitely on the up!

After seeing Billy Talent at Download 2009 and being totally blown away by them I was certainly looking forward to seeing them again in the more intimate surroundings of Rock City. I wasn’t disappointed, a non-stop cavalcade of intricate riffs from the awesome Ian D’Sa and the livewire vocals of Ben Kowalewicz more than ably backed up on the bass by Jon Gallant and drums by Aaron Solowoniuk. A good mixture of songs from all three albums were played with the obvious leaning towards their latest release Billy Talent III. Both the crowd and the band seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being at Rock City, thriving of the energy of each other! It’s difficult to pick out highlights from the set as the whole show was amazing but Falling Leaves, Try Honesty and the finale Red Flag were three that really got the crowd going. It was one of those shows that nobody wanted to end, I look forward to seeing Billy Talent play again and the sooner the better!

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Alexisonfire, Anti-Flag, Four Year Strong and The Ghost of a Thousand

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

The show at Rock City, Nottingham started off early with ‘The Ghost of a Thousand’, hailing from Brighton,  hitting the stage at 6pm. Full of enthusiasm, high kicks and hairstyles Little Richard would be proud of, Ghost are one of the brightest bands emerging at the moment. Front man Tom Lacey, delivers a confident performance playing the large crowd and even crowd surfing! The band is also on top form, guitarists Jag Jago and Andy Blyth throwing their axes and shapes with true style.  Gareth Spencer on the bass and Memby Jago on the drums both delivering awesome energetic performances. How could I write this without a mention of Memby Jago’s hair, it truly has to be seen to be believed, taken straight from Little Richard’s head!

‘Four Year Strong’ were up next coming on stage and playing a hardcore riff the great Hatebreed and Madball would be proud of but alas that was the highlight of their set as they proceeded to turn into ‘Bowling for Soup’!  That is a little harsh, I know, but after their brutal entrance they led me to expect something very, very different to what they gave.  However, what they did play was a very tight, energetic set and the crowd seemed to respond to that with a large number of them singing along with them!  A solid, energetic performance from the Massachusetts quintet.

‘Anti-Flag’ took to the stage next, a band I have listened to for a few years but never seen play live. I wasn’t disappointed. Justin Sane seemed a little subdued throughout the performance but Chris #2 more than made up for it. He was full of high-kicks, jumps and runs around the stage; he was like a 5 year old pepped up on Smarties and Red Bull!  Pat Thetic had the stage persona of someone on weekend release from Arkham Asylum! Chris head delivered a seamless performance.  A great show from the boys and the crowd loved it too!

Then it was time for ‘Alexisonfire’.  I have waited years to see this band since I first picked up their self-titled album back in 2003. The anticipation rose as the stage light dimmed and the intro music began to play, the two minutes felt like an hour as the crowd waited….. Then it was show time, Alexisonfire exploded onto the stage with, the crowd went wild!  There was a good mix of songs from the new album “Old Crows/ Young Cardinals” and favourites from their previous releases.  Highlights from the set were “Heading for the Sun”, “Rough Hands”, “This could be anywhere in the world”, “Accidents”, “Accept Crime” and “Happiness by the Kilowatt”.  I’ve been to many shows this year but the performance from Alexisonfire was probably the best I have seen, not only this year but for many years!

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Download 2009 – Sunday

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Ok, so on sunday I went to Download on my own, my sister didn’t want to go and I nearly blew it off too but I am so glad i didn’t!  I tried to get there in time to see Black Stone Cherry but the traffic was awful (I left an hour later than the previous days) so I missed them and headed to the second stage and caught God Forbid, they were awesome! I’ve seen their name around for years but never really heard them before, they were amazing!

Then came Sevendust, another band I have liked for years and never seen live before! I was grinning all the way through the show! Then I went for a bit of a wander, before today I had pretty much stayed at the stages and not seen much else of the site so I wandered for a couple of hours, met up with the guy I used to work with and had a good chin wag with him for a while!  I caught a bit of Volbeat, a band i have never heard of, they were ok but not sure if i’ll get any of their stuff? Then I headed for the 3rd stage to see Steel Panther….. I had seen their video on Scuzz TV and it made me smile so i thought I would check them out, I wasn’t disappointed! There were huge posters all around the site for them with the headline ” We f**ked your mom in the 80’s!” I think that pretty much sums them up! .An 80’s throw back glam heavy metal band but with a tongue in cheek comedy repertoire! You have to listen to them! So god damn funny!

After the Panther I went back to the 2nd stage just as Buckcherry were finishing off, not really my thing but they put on a good show. Then Papa Roach came on, another one of the bands I’ve liked forever!!!  I think I have seen them before but they were awesome, played all the favourites, I was singing to them all! lol I left after that and was smiling all the way back to the car thinking how awesome the weekend had been and that I was definitely going next year! (If the line-up is good!)

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Download 2009 – Saturday

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Saturday started off with Five Finger Death Punch – they were amazing, i have their cd so was looking forward to seeing them live and I wasn’t disappointed! A great way to start the day off! Then came DevilDriver again I was really looking forward to seeing them, I have 4 of their CDs, good dirty metal!  During their set they were trying to break a world record for the largest circle pit…. man it was insane, must have been 100 yards across with thousands of people running around! Following them were Hatebreed!!!! I love this band, straight up, no mess East Coast Hardcore! They were brutal and I loved it!

Then it was time for Down, man I have waited years to see these guys….. I was blown away by them! Phil Anselmo last time I saw him was overweight had long greasy nasty hair and looked at deaths door but this weekend he looked 20 years younger and was back to his awesome best! I took too many pics and the battery ran flat!!! Then it was time for Pendulum, they were ok but have been a little over-hyped!

After that we headed across to the 2nd stage and saw Chris Cornell do a solo set, it was a mixture of his own tracks, some Audioslave and a couple of Soundgarden songs thrown in too! I really enjoyed it, another blast from the past! Then following him were The Prodigy, there set was totally amazing, another band that I have loved for years and years and finally I saw them live…..  I will definitely try and catch them live again pretty damn soon!

Finally we headed back to the main stage and caught the last hour of the Slipknot show….. they were awesome, I saw them in 2000 just after they released their first record and thought that show was good but this one was infinitely better, they really know how to put on a good show, complete with the drums being raised up then moving into the vertical position and then started revolving clockwise all whilst still playing… by this time I was exhausted and was glad to head home after the day was done…  An awesome, awesome day!!!

Saturday started off with Five Finger Death Punch – they were amazing, i have their cd so was looking forward to seeing them live and I wasn’t disappointed! A great way to start the day off! Then came DevilDriver again I was really looking forward to seeing them, I have 4 of their CDs, good dirty metal! During their set they were trying to break a world record for the largest circle pit…. man it was insane, must have been 100 yards across with thousands of people running around! Following them were Hatebreed!!! I love this band, straight up, no mess East Coast Hardcore! They were brutal and I loved it! /p>

Then it was time for Down, man I have waited years to see these guys….. I was blown away by them! Phil Anselmo last time I saw him was overweight had long greasy nasty hair and looked at deaths door but this weekend he looked 20 years younger and was back to his awesome best! I took too many pics and the battery ran flat!!! Then it was time for Pendulum, they were ok but have been a little over-hyped!

After that we headed across to the 2nd stage and saw Chris Cornell do a solo set, it was a mixture of his own tracks, some Audioslave and a couple of Soundgarden songs thrown in too! I really enjoyed it, another blast from the past! Then following him were The Prodigy, there set was totally amazing, another band that I have loved for years and years and finally I saw them live… I will definitely try and catch them live again pretty damn soon!

Finally we headed back to the main stage and caught the last hour of the Slipknot show… they were awesome, I saw them in 2000 just after they released their first record and thought that show was good but this one was infinitely better, they really know how to put on a good show, complete with the drums being raised up then moving into the vertical position and then started revolving clockwise all whilst still playing… by this time I was exhausted and was glad to head home after the day was done… An awesome, awesome day!!!

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Download 2009 – Friday

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Ok so it’s 2 weeks since the Download Festival but it has taken me this long to put into words the amazing, amazing weekend that it was…

The anticipation had been building for a good few weeks beforehand helped in no small part my me dear sister who would remind me at every given moment that we she would be seeing Mike Patton again… I’m no much of a camper so we commuted every day, living less than 10 miles away from the site it was easy to do so and after talking to one of my friends who was camping it was actually quicker for me to get home than for them to walk to their tent! heh heh!

So, Download 2009 kicked off with Hollywood Undead, i’d seen one of their tracks on Scuzz TV and thought it was OK so I was quite eager to see their set. The first song they played was indeed “Undead” but,unfortunately, that one was a highlight… I think my analogy was “New Kids On the Block” in masks but not as good!” Still, the show had just begun.

Then followed The Blackout, an emo/pop/metal band from Wales. Again all I knew of them was from seeing their videos on Scuzz and Kerrang TV, they had kind of passed me by on TV but showed great energy and technical proficiency in their set and put on a good show. They played a medley of songs as a tribute to Limp Bizkit, Korn and Faith No More who were following them later on the main stage!

So began 8 hours of music from some of my all-time favourite bands…. first up were Staind, so much energy, each song they played was a highlight, I wish I hadn’t waited so long to see them live! Next up were Billy Talent, they guys are right up there in the top 3 of my current favourite bands! Ben was bouncing around the stage with energy than a 5 year old pepped up on red bull and Pro-Plus! Ian’s guitar playing just blew me away… Awesome band! After that Killswitch Engage exploded on stage, so powerful, non-stop metal mayhem with a side on humour…. Adam Dutkiewicz dressed in a Mexican wrestler’s mask and a superman style golden cape! Howard Jones’ voice is just as powerful live as it is on cd!

Then it was time to turn the clock back….. I was like a 15 year old again…. Limp Bizkit burst onto the stage straight into “Break Stuff” and it continued from there with “He said She said”, “Nookie”, “My Generation”, “Rollin’”, “Eat you alive”….. Wes Borland was back in the band and he was dressed like demonic parakeet….. Everything you’d expect from LB, a great show!

How about some Korn….. HELL YEAAAAAHHHHH!!!! There was only Jonathan, Fieldy and Munky left from the original band but the songs all sounded amazing. So many songs, so many memories, I have to admit in moments there was a tear in my eye, that must have been a sight as I am a 6’4” 17 stone shaven headed metaller! Thankfully, I was wearing sunglasses…. I finally got to see Jonathan’s famous Giger mic stand! Cool, where do I get one? Jonathan even played the bagpipes between tracks!

Hmmmm ok so then it was time for FAITH NO MORE!!!!! I didn’t really know what to expect as this moment had been a long time coming, and as the band came out suited and booted they started playing a lounge tune, a minute or so later Mike Patton limped onto the stage dressed impeccably in a red suit and shirt with a cane in his hand in his unique special humorous way. So the lounge tune turned out to be “Reunited” by Peaches and Cream….. it all came clear! From that moment I had a lump in my throat and that tear in the corner of my eye again for the first hour of the show….. it was a surreal moment but i loved every minute of it! They burst straight into “The Real Thing”, “From Out Of Nowhere”, “Land Of Sunshine”, “Caffeine” and “Evidence”. The humour continued when they began to play “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga… heh heh! But it was just an introduction into “Chinese Arithmetic! The massive songs just came coming and coming….. “Surprise! You’re Dead!”, “Easy”, “Last Cup Of Sorrow”, “Midlife Crisis”, “Introduce Yourself”, “The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies”, “Take This Bottle”, “Ashes To Ashes”, “Malpractice”, “Cuckoo For Caca”, “Be Aggressive”, “Epic”, “Mark Bowen”. For the encore Roddy came back on and began to play “Chariots of Fire!”….., random yet somehow perfectly in place, which led into “Stripsearch” and finally “We Care A Lot”! The crowd wanted more, but alas that was our lot, the crowd was still buzzing with excitement as they reflected on what they had just witnessed on the long trudge back to the camp/car….. A seminal moment in my life…..

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