Robyn Writes

Reading Festival 2011 – Saturday

Sunday will be posted up later today when it’s dusted off, but in the meantime, here’s a look at Saturday while I go shopping with my mum.
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On the whole, Saturday’s main stage was… average. There was a lot of stuff I could have watched in the Lock Up, but for the first time in a long time, I actually had friends with me, and friends means sacrifice. I’m okay with that, but it did mean that I missed out on a lot of stuff that otherwise might have been pretty good. There were a lot of gaps. It was a long day.

But in other respects, I got to discover some stuff that I would never have ventured towards. Like Daniel Sloss (4/5), for example. Quite simply the funniest comedian of the whole weekend. He’s young, he’s relevant, he’s got floppy hair but above all else I was actually in tears at his ‘winning the breakup’ routine. Perhaps because it’s entirely relevant to me right now, but it’s sheer genius. Do go and see him if he tours around your town, you’re in for a treat. Daniel Sloss was followed by the surreal Late Night Gimp Fight (4/5). If you can replace a word in a song with the word ‘gimp’, they’ve done it according to their videos. Some of the strangest, most degrading and yet endearing sketches I’ve ever seen. And a man got his cock out at two in the afternoon. What more could you ask for?

Next up was a trip to the Lock Up for a bit of letlive. (3.5/5) who were pretty decent. On record, letlive. have been one of the most exciting bands around this year. Fake History is incredible. But live, that sound just doesn’t quite come through. Perhaps it’s the acoustics of the tent, maybe it’s because it’s actually quite a polished album, but their live performance is completely raw. Don’t think that’s a bad thing. Admittedly, I was a bit lost in places. It’s a complete sight to see though. Singer Jason Butler throws himself across stages in ways that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Guitarists Jean Nascimento and Jeff Sayhoun shred like there’s nothing else left to do in the world. To listen to, they weren’t at their peak that day, not like I think they could be. To watch, they were insane.

A brief stint in the Alternative tent saw us in the company of Michael Fabbri (2.5/5) who elicited a couple of laughs but on the whole was pretty average. He didn’t measure up to the comedic genius of Daniel Sloss, at any rate. Paul Chowdhry (1/5) was that bad that I actually fell asleep. Apparently nothing exists outside of London. Where the hell do you think you are then, mate? Dire stuff.

Jimmy Eat World (4/5) are always outstanding. Whatever the set, they know their audience and they play to that audience. We got all the hits from Bleed American, Futures and Chase This Light, a couple of gems from Clarity and the latest from Invented. Even at fourth, Jimmy Eat World should have been higher up on the bill. Who the hell are The National? They’re not Jimmy Eat World, that’s for sure. Jimmy Eat World were made for big things and they’re finally getting some of the recognition they deserve. The full touring band this time made a huge difference to their set, allowing them to achieve the depth that’s displayed throughout all of their albums. A Jimmy Eat World set always feels really personal; unlike some acts where you really feel part of the enormous crowd around you, the band always manage to make it feel extremely intimate, despite playing to an audience of thousands. It takes a lot to be able to do that.

During dinner, I caught a bit of Glassjaw (4/5). I feel that I can’t really give Glassjaw an accurate enough review, considering that I caught less than half a set. That half a set I did catch was pretty intense. Daryl Palumbo is demonic in his movements, and those eyes… those eyes. Glassjaw are frequently quoted as the best post-hardcore band around and I find it easy to see why – they are utterly captivating. The King Blues (4/5) in the Lock Up are just as captivating but for wholly different reasons. It’s great to see them back in the Lock Up. Their performance on the main stage last year was good, but it wasn’t where they belonged. As Itch said, “You people in the Lock Up… you’re our kind of people, yeah!” They ran through a blistering set of reggae and ska tinged punk rock, and although I appreciated Tim McIllrath’s statements the day before, he doesn’t really know what he’s on about regarding our country, but The King Blues really do. New song, Power To The People, is a hardcore influenced dub whirlwind, ready to inspire the youth of today. The tent was packed, not just full of the punk crowd, but there were girls with flowers in their hair, mums and dads, indie hipsters and more, proving that The King Blues have a greatly universal appeal.

But it seems that no band has more universal appeal right now than The Midnight Beast (4/5). Much like the HMV Institute on their headlining tour this year, the tent was so rammed that the band had to stop in the middle of their new song in order to get everyone to move back so nobody died. That is how excited people are to be seeing The Midnight Beast. Screaming teenage girls aside, their comedic raps had pretty much the whole tent in fits, including an impromptu cover of Friday which had more people singing along than will probably admit to it. A Midnight Beast set is definitely a show, with so much going on that it’s difficult to keep up. Cheerleaders, fake swords, boyband dancers… they’ve got it all. Comedy rap is a big thing right now and The Midnight Beast are the best of British for sure. The new song shows promise of lots of new material to come, so they’ll definitely be worth watching. Not bad for three guys who covered Kesha’s Tik Tok in their living room.

Reading Festival 2011 – Friday

Let it be noted that the rest IS on the way, but considering I haven’t done a real update in a while, you can have Friday first and the rest in a couple of days when I’ve written it!
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Another year, another Reading. One more weekend of sleeping on the ground, of being pissed on by the heavens, of probably catching some kind of STI from the longdrops and of obscenely good music. There are a lot of festivals out there and arguably, Britain has most of them on its shores, but Reading is and always will be my festival. No other festival quite has the variety that Reading does, nor the charm. You’d never get Glassjaw and Bombay Bicycle Club sharing the same stage anywhere else. Some people go just for the “experience”, others for the overpriced alcohol and getting stoned in a field. Those two things may actually be one and the same but I go for music. I’ve paid an extortionate amount of money. And this year’s review actually has a lot of bands (and a bit more comedy than last year) in it. Always a plus.

After a night of essentially being a wetboy (“Can I go to bed yet? I’ve been up since half six!” “NO IT’S ONLY HALF NINE. That isn’t socially acceptable!”) I rose nice and early on Friday morning to wade my way through six inches of mud in an attempt to reach the arena in time for Architects (3.5/5). Architects proved to be a solid opener for Friday’s main stage, playing a mix between their older, heavier material and newer effort, The Here And Now. A substantial wake up call at midday, Architects proved that they can indeed bring it. The Blackout (4/5) followed up with a bloody brilliant set, bouncing all over the place. Sean and Gavin are such charmers. The ever-so-slightly altered vocal dynamic (essentially, Sean doesn’t shout quite as much) that was found in Hope translates well live. I did find myself disappointed that there was no spit catching, but I think that was just me. Spit catching aside, The Blackout brought so much energy to the morning that New Found Glory (3/5) were struggling to keep up. While it was by no means a bad set from the Floridian pop-punksters, it’s clear that New Found Glory aren’t quite at home on the main stage. Having seen NFG multiple times throughout the years, something felt very off about their set in comparison. The main stage at Reading is a big thing, it has to be to get 30 Seconds To Mars’ ridiculous stage set up there and although NFG are big players in the pop-punk scene, their presence didn’t dominate as much as it should have done. Nevertheless, they played a decent amount from their back catalogue, inciting mass singalongs, while I sat in regret at having to sell my ticket for their intimate headline tour (first time I’ve missed them in seven years. SEVEN YEARS). So I guess pop punk’s not dead yet, is it Chad? No. Bring Me The Horizon (4.5/5) played the best set so far that day with an intense experience that only they can provide. The crowd surfing was mental. Oli Sykes, despite his pissant reputation, was positively adorable and simultaneously terrifying as he ripped through their set with high velocity. There’s always a certain aggression associated with a BMTH set which is easily spotted through the various moshpits and walls of death, but as Oli grinned from ear to ear, the notion of a band all grown up shined through. Their latest effort, perhaps their magnum opus, is a sophisticated affair despite having a song called ‘Fuck’ on it and their Reading set was a blinder. Ta very much. In comparison, Rise Against’s (3/5) was a more watered down affair as the band chose to go with their newer, middle of the road material. Following BMTH, it would have been entirely possible to pick out some of the finest from Siren Song Of The Counter Culture or Revolutions Per Minute but I was left feeling underwhelmed. Songs like Saviour are nice, and Tim McIllrath has developed a lovely gruff singing voice over the years which sounds sublime sailing across a sea of writhing bodies but come on… hardcore punk isn’t over yet. Their cover of The Clash’s ‘White Riot’ was superb though, even if Tim’s statement regarding the London riots of late did not go down too well with the crowd.

We left the main stage because Deftones were on there and I’ve never liked them. I always feel like I should apologise for that fact, because they’re such a big institution, but broccoli is a big vegetable and I don’t apologise for disliking that so I think my conscience is clear. Instead, we were wowed by The Petebox (4/5) in the Alternative tent with a simply astounding demonstration of just what the human voice can do. He covered Where’s Your Head At amongst other classic tunes using just his voice! Brill! Apparently he’s got a new album coming out which should be interesting. Henry Rollins (5/5) is always an inspiration. Always. There is never a time when I walk out of a room where Henry has been on stage and feel disappointed. His stories are funny, despite his protestation against such accusations, endearing, on the edge and enthralling. In this set, he gave us some details about his time in North Korea as one of the very few Americans let in yearly, the time when Black Flag got some girl’s eye put out and living on the Santa Monica Boulevard during a high point in male prostitution in the area. This man has lived the most incredible life and he urges us to do the same. If you have never, ever seen Henry speak, or read one of his books, or listened to one of the various spoken word albums he’s done, then remedy this immediately. You won’t regret it.

A brief dinner and then back to the main stage for 30 Seconds To Mars (4/5). Part of me wanted to hate this performance. I mean, I’ve always thought that 30STM have demanded this kind of grandeur out of nowhere. In another article, I discuss this lack of understanding at simply how 30STM are where they are but finally seeing it for myself has made me realise that actually, this is a band that deserve to be centre stage right now. Pretty much everything about this set can be described as epic. The staging, with its huge screens and rising platforms, looked incredible. Jared’s interaction with the crowd was insane – as soon as Kings and Queens rolls up, there are literally fifty fans singing their heart out on stage with him as he prances around in a fan’s tiger onesie. They picked only the most anthemic of their songs, and although they left out From Yesterday which is my personal favourite from A Beautiful Lie (actually… the only song I truly like off that release), the entire field rang out with cheers and screams. 30STM are a highly visual band and as odd as that sounds, they do have to be seen to be believed. I was pretty much half converted before this set, but now I’m ready to go all the way.

Despite their cracking performance, 30STM simply could not measure up to My Chemical Romance (5/5). It’s not been long since the band have been back in the UK but it’s been at least three years since they graced the main stage at Reading and Leeds. And they have been missed. Gerard and the boys were certainly in fine form and loving it. The set was comprised of various hits from their new album, which is superb by the way, The Black Parade and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Unlike Leeds’ set, we didn’t get Our Lady Of Sorrows, but that’s okay. Each and every song was thrashed to perfection as the band whirled their way across the stage. James Dewees (at least I swear that was him under the fursuit!) made a welcome return to keys and knocked out a fantastic rendition of Mama with the band. My Chemical Romance have not lost their passion in any way. I know it’s not all about Gerard, and truly, the band as a whole are amazing, but he completely stole the show in every way possible. In today’s music, there isn’t a better front man. He’s got the voice, the passion, the energy that so many others have but taken to a whole new level. The experience as a whole was taken up about ten notches during the encore as Queen’s Brian May (BRIAN MAY YOU GUYS, BRIAN MAY!!) came on stage for a cheeky cover of We Will Rock You and Welcome To The Black Parade. There were fireworks. There was a lot of hair. There was an epic solo. Gerard looked like a kid who’d eaten too many blue Smarties. Everything was perfect. And so Friday finished in the greatest possible way and My Chemical Romance are the best headliners I’ve seen at Reading ever. True fact.

Download Festival 2011 (by Joe)

Guest writer Joe’s written a lovely Download review for you. Get in touch with him – jo3devine@hotmail.com. Fancy contributing yourself? Email me at ripper@twobeatsoff.co.uk!

FRIDAY
I got to the arena just in time to see the second half of CKY’s (3) set. They were just ripping into ‘Flesh Into Gear’, seemingly intent on playing only songs that they will have been remembered for back in their ‘glory’ days, following up with their most famous number, ’96 Quite Bitter Beings’ which went down a treat with the core of fans gathered around the front of the main stage. They then ended their set with a double hit of ‘Inhuman Creation Station’ and ‘Escape From Hellview’ from the band’s best known album, ‘Infiltrate. Destroy. Rebuild.’ The overall impression was that whilst this was a strong opening to Download, it was let down by a crowd that, other than the core at the front, seemed rather uninterested in the band. Next up was PUDDLE OF MUDD (3) who seemed to fare better in the crowd support section. Opening with a bang with ‘Out of My Head’ and ‘Control’ they seemed to have their audience much more involved in the festivities they were providing. They kept the crowd’s attention through their set and finally got everyone singing when they unveiled a brilliant cover of AC/DC’s ‘T.N.T’ before closing their set with one of their better known songs, ‘She Hates Me’. The third band up for me was YOUNG GUNS (1) on the second stage who, despite having a couple of songs the crowd seemed partially familiar with, came off as bland and very predictable; the only refuge from this being closing song ‘Weight of the World’ which still remains their best. Overall though, this was a quite boring set, which was disappointing as I at one point expected this band to get only better – it felt like they’ve done only the opposite in the couple of years since I first made that prediction.

Next up was a trip to the main stage, where I was in for a treat with three great bands up in a row. Firstly was BLACK STONE CHERRY (4) who stuck one of their anthems, the fantastic ‘Blind Man’ into the first two songs of the set, and carried on from there, unfurling great song after great song at their audience. BSC classic ‘Rain Wizard’ along with newbies ‘Blame it On the Boom-Boom’ and ‘White-Trash Millionaire’ all went down a treat with the crowd, and they only topped that when they got the biggest sing-along of the day in their closer, ‘Lonely Train’ from their self-titled debut album. THIN LIZZY (4) were next and they were just as good, if not better than BSC, filling their sets with such classics as ‘Jailbreak’, ‘Rosalie’, ‘Black Rose’ and their most well-known songs, ‘Whiskey In the Jar’ and ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ which both got mass sing-alongs, orchestrated by new lead vocalist Ricky Warwick, who seemed to be well-received by the band’s core fans. ALTER BRIDGE (4) were next up, once again proving why they are about to embark on an arena tour in November. They opened with just lead vocalist Myles Kennedy (who I believe to be the best singer in the world right now) on stage alone, singing the intro of ‘Slip to the Void’ from latest effort ‘AB III’. They chose to do their most anthemic numbers for this set, including ‘Metalingus’, ‘Come to Life’ and ‘Ties that Bind’, before ending with what seems to have become their regular set closer, ‘Rise Today’, sending the crowd mental and begging for more Alter Bridge, which they will get in November!

Next I saw the first half of THE DARKNESS’s (1) set, which started off well, with lead singer Justin Hawkins proving he still has a fantastic voice, but quickly descended into another bland performance. Even after half an hour of the set, it still felt like the first song – such is the band’s repetitiveness in a live arena. I arrived at the second stage in time to see an hour of KORN’s (3) set, who were impressive, playing what was essentially a greatest hits set with a few classics thrown in for good measure. A great line up of tunes came to follow with a compilation of ‘Coming Undone’, Queens’ ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Twisted Transistor’, ‘Make Me Bad’ ‘Thoughtless’, ‘Did My Time’ and ‘Clown’, before they sent it home with a full rendition of ‘Y’all Want A Single’.

The entertainment for the night was closed out by DEF LEPPARD (5) who played a set that can only be described as magical. The whole crowd was captured by just how amazing this band still are, singing the words to all 19 songs that the band chose to perform, which, among other memorable moments, included a 2 song acoustic set comprising of ‘Two Steps Behind’ and ‘Bringin’ On the Heartbreak’, an encore of ‘When Love and Hate Collide’ and ‘Wasted’, and an awe- inspiring speech from Joe Elliot about drummer Rick Allen’s losing of his arm and return to Donington Park for his first gig since, which was given despite Elliot’s fears of ‘repeating himself from two years ago’. All I could think of to describe the moment was that it was even more amazing the second time round, just as this band’s whole Download headline appearance was.

SATURDAY
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (1) and ALL THAT REMAINS (2) opened Saturday’s proceedings. Both bands play a heavy style, with DWP leaning towards the more ‘scene kid friendly’ of the two. Not only do they pander towards the ‘scene-kid’ crowd these days, their set has suffered immensely, unlike three years ago, when they were a lot more energetic and exciting to watch. ATR were also rather bland, but their set was saved by the fact that they have a couple of great sing-along anthems that got the crowd into them; ‘Two Weeks’ and ‘This Calling’ being the highlights of their set. The first real energy of the day was seen with ESCAPE THE FATE (4) who from their opener, ‘Massacre’, injected new life into Donington and kept it going by breaking out ‘Ten Miles Wide’, ‘Issues’, ‘Day of Wreckoning’ and ‘Gorgeous Nightmare’ from last year’s self-titled effort. They close things with ‘This War is Ours’ and ‘The Aftermath’ which comprise parts two and three of their ‘The Guillotine’ trilogy. The most impressive thing about this set though is the fact that they went down so well with their audience, despite not performing any songs from their days with Ronnie Radke as frontman, showing that band and fans alike have moved on from that tainted stage of their career. I saw ROCK SUGAR (4) next, who seem to have amassed a healthy cult following in the twelve months since I last saw them blow away a Download crowd – more than double the number of people watching this year. Their blending of different songs is still completely fresh and original from a rock and metal standpoint and gained sing-alongs every time they broke into a number, even on the ‘old new song’ they performed for the first time to a UK crowd. They topped things off with what they claimed was the photo shoot for their new album, posing in front of the crowd, leaving everyone feeling like they had been involved in something special.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD (4) were next up. Opening with ‘Undead’, they kept the party vibe going in their 40 minute set, proving to be the highlight among the afternoon bands and new singer Danny was comfortably fitting in with the other five members of the band. They closed things out with the first single from their second album ‘American Tragedy’, ‘Hear Me Now’, leaving the crowd still feeling the aftershock of the party-vibe they had injected into the arena. Next, I witnessed a great little acoustic set from BOWLING FOR SOUP (4) which will be remembered more for the banter between band and crowd, and the multiple mid-song drinking breaks, than the songs themselves. Jaret and Erik were intent on making the crowd laugh, which they did. Later on, I made my way to the Pepsi Max stage to catch SEVENDUST (3). They played an energetic set from the word go and from opener ‘Splinter’ to closer ‘Face to Face’, they were intent on getting their crowd to enjoy themselves whether they were familiar with the songs or not. AVENGED SEVENFOLD (4) were a notch above though, I arrived just as they started ‘Afterlife’ and, even though I had hoped to see Twisted Sister, was not left regretting my decision as Sevenfold played an energetic set that was filled with crowd pleasers; the highlight of which being when they dedicated ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ to former, and now deceased, drummer Jimmy Sullivan wanting to ‘keep the mood up’, before closing with another crowd pleaser in ‘Unholy Confessions’ and ’Save Me’, the final track from their latest album ‘Nightmare’. Finally, it was time for headliners SYSTEM OF A DOWN (4) who opened with ‘Prison Song’, immediately sending the whole crowd mental with a 27 song set that had mosh pits and bodies moving the whole time. The only small let-down that left this set from being a ‘5-star classic’ was the leaving out of ‘Violent Pornography’, one of their more widely known, and better, songs. However, the overall feeling after their set was that the audience had just been to a huge party, feeling the effects well into Sunday morning.

SUNDAY
I was up early on Sunday morning as I wanted to catch SUICIDE SILENCE’s (3) set. Despite all of their songs sounding very similar to each other, they played a set that was brutal enough to cure most hangovers, whilst incorporating enough mind-blowing sub-drops to bring them back again. In comparison, YASHIN (1), who were second up on the second stage, did well not to put everyone back to sleep again – the most likely reason nobody actually did go back to sleep is that the rain had started falling constantly during their repetitive and really quite boring set which would have been so much better had they included their cover of ‘Everytime’ by Britney Spears. The fact they didn’t left closer ‘Get Loose’ as the only real stand out moment of their set, other than the rain, of course. I went to hide in the Pepsi Max tent while I waited for another band to take main stage and was very pleasantly surprised by TRUCKER DIABLO (3), finding their Southern American style slice of rock ‘n’ roll pie to be the perfect solace for the rain, which had hit quite hard out of nowhere.

I then made my way back to the main stage for MADINA LAKE (3), who were another pleasant surprise, despite sounding fairly flat at first, slightly killing opener ‘Let’s Get Outta Here’. However, when they had warmed up, they sounded great and played songs from their first two albums, highlights being ‘House of Cards’ and, even more so, ‘Here I Stand’ before treating the crowd to a new song, which sounded great and ending their time with a rendition of ‘True Love’. Next was the full band set of the weekend for BOWLING FOR SOUP (4) who were even better than on their acoustic set the previous day. They played a set full of anthems, which included ‘The Bitch Song’, ‘Almost’, ‘My Weiner’, ‘1985’ and of course, ‘Girl All the Bad Guys Want’ (Jaret even went as far to claim it was ‘the greatest song ever written…’). Despite all the BFS classics on display, the highlight of the set came when Jaret requested an inflatable penis was passed onto the stage and placed in the anus of one of the band’s inflatable sheep, deflating it in the process. Jaret claims that the sight of ‘the sheep laying there dying while the penis is laying on the floor [being] the story of [my] high school career’, which just about sums up the BFS experience – it may not be clever, but it sure is genius. I was at the second stage next for GWAR (3) who, despite not actually being very good musically, kept the crowd’s attention by ripping off Osama Bin Laden’s head, tearing the breasts from the Queen of England and by having multiple ‘fights’ with robots and other monsters, all of which resulted in the first few rows of the audience being showered in (hopefully) fake blood. TURISAS (3) were a bit more focused on their music than their stage show, but with the quality of songs they have, they didn’t need a stage show to make this an enjoyable set – not that it stopped them, having dressed up in Viking battle gear as usual! The highlight came during the chant war between the two sides of the the audience during their cover of Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’ (which by the way sounds better when performed by Turisas), as well as lead vocalist Mathias “Warlord” Nygård claiming that in every country they visit they try local beer, which led to him insisting on referring to Donington as Denmark, as the band were drinking Tuborg. BUCKCHERRY (2) sounded good at first, playing Rescue Me and All Night Long second and third in the set, getting the crowd singing along early, but their set faltered from there and seemed to drag along, before being partially rescued by their closer, the forever great ‘Crazy Bitch’. BLACK VEIL BRIDES (4) were the best band of the day up to that point when they left the stage, as from opener ‘Love Isn’t Always Fair’ until closing number ‘Fallen Angels’ they had the crowd that had turned out to see them enthralled, even with the new material from then-unreleased album ‘Set The World On Fire’. The performance, along with the personal introduction from Download promoter Andy Copping, served to show the audience, and the world, that BVB may well be the next big thing – and deservedly so. My final main stage band of the day was BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE (4) who were great as usual, providing just over an hour of sing-alongs and circle pits for a very willing audience, beginning and ending with songs from last year’s ‘Fever’. ‘Your Betrayal’ at the start and ‘Alone’ wrapping things up, they had the whole crowd in the palms of their hands, just as they did last year and throughout their recent arena tour.

The final act of my weekend was ROB ZOMBIE (5) who was nothing short of phenomenal, emerging from a giant robot to the first song of his latest album ‘Hellbilly Deluxe 2’, ‘Jesus Frankenstein’. He provided another great stage show, which will surely keep his stage show battle of sorts with Alice Cooper alive and well. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t have the songs to do it, or the band to play them, and he does. John 5, formerly of Marilyn Manson on lead guitar, Piggy D, formerly of Wednesday 13 on Bass and Ginger Fish, also formerly of Marilyn Manson fame, on drums played Zombie’s songs perfectly, with the video screens behind them flashing up lyrics which helped even members of the crowd that didn’t know his songs get involved. Zombie performed many of his classics, including ‘Superbeast’, ‘Living Dead Girl’ and ‘Never Gonna Stop’, as well as newer crowd pleaser ‘Sick BubbleGum’ seamlessly, as well as throwing in a few White Zombie classics, ‘More Human and Human’, ‘Super-Charger Heaven’ and ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’ just for older Zombie fans. John 5 also performed a great solo to plenty of support and applause from the audience, and it was all topped off by the band returning for an encore, complete with Rob on top of a giant robot podium, leading the crowd in a stunning rendition of his classic ‘Dragula’ to send everybody home (or back to their tents) amazed, having witnessed what must surely go down as one of the classic performances in Download Festival history. Overall a fun weekend, even if hampered by the bad weather, that left everyone excited for next year!

Live: The Midnight Beast – HMV Institute Birmingham, 16/2/11

The Midnight Beast. It’s very hard to escape that name if you are a British teenager. A YouTube phenomenon, the comedy troupe have taken the internet by storm. Trending on Twitter and garnering over 250,000 fans on Facebook is quite the achievement in our new cyber-age. Naturally though, YouTube can no longer confine them and it’s up to the live arena to show us just what The Midnight Beast is all about. A sold out tour all across the UK confirms that YouTube just isn’t enough – The Midnight Beast are more than just a passing craze.

The minute I entered the HMV Institute, I was aware of two things. Firstly, I was the oldest person in the room bar parents. At twenty years old, this is a highly impressive (or pathetic, depending on your viewpoint) feat. Secondly, over eighty per cent of the audience were female. Perhaps the pull of Ashley Horne and Stefan Abingdon (Dru Wakely doesn’t seem to be gathering quite so many fans amongst the ladies) is just too much; a ridiculous amount of cheerleading outfits, eyeliner hearts and initials on cheeks and shrieking that could pierce even the hardiest of eardrums is commonplace across the floor. Maybe it’s my hardcore sensibilities. Maybe it’s because I knew that I was never quite that irritating in my teenage years. Either way, I could have decimated half of the audience there and then. What had I let myself in for? My sister and I stood, trying to spot the scattered males in the room, groaning every time a new girl squealed. The band weren’t even on yet and it was fast approaching 8. A range of school disco tunes – The Vengaboys’ classic Boom Boom Boom – filled the floor. Everyone was singing and dancing. Was I a scrooge for not joining in? Quite probably, but I was far too irritated to debate it. Doors opened at 6:30, what was going on?

I spoke too soon. The most horrendous ‘rapper’ strolled onto the stage, pet DJ in tow. ‘DO YOU LIKE TINIE TEMPAH?’ Hype Man Sage screamed, before proceeding to take a huge shit all over a Tinie Tempah song. There were vague hints of original material, but they were mediocre at best; a ‘comedic’ song about bouncers barring you from clubs because you’re wearing shiny white trainers was the only thing I really remember, and it was pretty bad. At one point, he asked us all if we liked dubstep. Everyone shouted yes. I’m surprised most of these kids know what dubstep is. Or was it just the excitement? The anticipation, calling them to agree? Or desperation, to get him off stage? I know that was my reason. Ludicrous.

And finally, The Midnight Beast rose to the stage, launching into latest single, ‘Just Another Boyband’. Dancers in tow and everything. The crowd went wild. I could barely see anything for a sea of arms raised high. I could barely hear anything for a while for the two girls directly in front of me screeching ‘OH MY GAAAAAAWD!’ at each other. But apart from that, it was pretty sweet! The skits work well when transposed to the stage, with fake katanas for ‘Ninjas’, a couple of male cheerleaders for ‘Booty Call’ and more make the whole thing seem just as fun and just as silly as on the internet. The Midnight Beast sadly don’t have a large amount of material, possibly making this tour seem a bit premature, but they still managed to fill a set despite having to rely on the covers (although of course, Tik Tok is what they’re known for) and a couple of the smaller skits such as ‘Walk With Us’. Interestingly, ‘Use Ya Head’ didn’t make the cut (it was pretty dire). The boys themselves seemed to be loving it, in their trademark jerseys and children’s t-shirts. It’s clear that they are enjoying every minute; the screaming fangirls blissful to their ears, if not to mine. Debuting some new material, with guitars and basses and everything(!), they couldn’t have seemed more happy. It was infectious. The finish on Tik Tok, their most famous song, could probably be heard echoing around half of Birmingham. And it was good.

Eventually, I found myself having a good night. Is it the Year Of The Beast? According to the calendar, yes. Do I see The Midnight Beast lasting past this year? It’s hard to say. YouTube fame can be shortlived; the minute a group gets it wrong, they drop instantly off the page, never to be heard from again. However, from what I heard in Birmingham, The Midnight Beast are definitely getting it very, very right. Here’s hoping that as they progress, their audience might grow up a little bit too.

Live: Attack! Vipers! – Kelsey’s, Leamington Spa, 14/1/11

The Leamington scene has been under threat lately. With the closure of Spayce, the last venue that wouldn’t charge extortionate amounts to the promoters, it looked like there was little hope for us. Laurence and Move To Leamington put on a show or two in his house (such as the RVIVR show last year that was epic) but it’s just impractical. However, tonight saw a kind of revival as student bar Kelsey’s offered the top floor for a night of punk rock. It was, to say the least, an interesting evening.

First up were Lineker (who I sadly can’t find a link for online!), a band clearly named after the Walkers man/popular ex-footballer. One of the other bands made a joke that they should put out a split with a band called Gascoigne. It would probably be a stellar release. Apparently one of their first shows as a new band, they performed well! Pretty gruff stuff but not too heavy. Hopefully, they should be playing more shows near here soon.

Cannons And Tanks were up next and as always, were bloody great. Having caught them with RVIVR last year, it’s safe to say they’ve definitely pulled it all together now to form a much tighter unit. Matt thought they sounded a little bit like Small Brown Bike, which is probably obvious from the name. If you like that kind of stuff, then Cannons And Tanks are most definitely for you. It’s music from the heart and it sounds awesome. At the end of their set, they threw in a cover of Waiting Room by Fugazi. From the opening bass riff, I was apprehensive. I am not a huge fan of covers and to even touch Fugazi is usually asking for trouble, but it was actually a pretty impressive attempt and I can’t wait to hear more from these guys.

Caves had a bit of a mixed bag going here. The beginning and end of the set were both excessively awesome, with those awesome pop melodies shining on through, but the middle of the set was a little lacklustre. However, it was still a very good performance. Caves just have this awesome energy, as if they could play all night, and it definitely transfers into the crowd. Some of the oldies there were getting very excited. The new material sounds pretty good and they have a new CD out soon – check back here for details.

Section 13 were very average. Although the majority of the audience were there to see them, they were the worst band on the bill. They play an 80s brand of hardcore which is just impossible to make original. Were they playing that kind of stuff back then? Probably, but if that’s the case, then it’s time to move on. The highlight of the set was possibly the weirdest moshpit I have ever seen, as old dudes in tartan collided with lager louts in a kind of slow frenzy. When I have lost the jadedness of youth and am old and enthusiastic, then I’ll mosh like that. Until then, I’m content to remain vaguely hipster-esque with my arms folded and the occasional toe-tap. They might have done covers, but I couldn’t really tell.

So, hooray forAttack! Vipers! who were just incredible! This is brutal hardcore at its best and a fine example of what’s coming out of England right now. A combination of intense growls and great melodies, they could be likened to early Fight Paris but way more brutal. A great crowd reaction was almost as entertaining as the band themselves – human pyramids and what can only be described as dizzy dinosaurs with almost every member of a band there picked up and thrown in the air was absolutely mental. For a tiny room at the top of a shitty bar, the sound was great and managed to pull up some highly bewildered looking students from downstairs. Hopefully, Attack! Vipers! will be coming to the all dayer in March, as they are certainly not to be missed.