 
 Originally
the Cancer Bats were to hit Belfast supporting
In Flames. When In Flames cancelled their entire
tour, Cancer Bats wasted no time in announcing
their own headline tour and kept all the dates.
Rolo Tomassi were to play the same night in Belfast
so both bands got together and arranged a co-headline
gig with Psychic Kids in support.
Psychic Kids, an experimental outfit from Dublin,
hit the stage. The played for about 20 minutes
and the first five had the crowd scratching their
heads, wondering what they were watching. Once
they settled in and everyone got to grips with
what the Psychic Kids were all about, a lot of
fans started to warm to them. They played a mixture
of rock/indie/techno type music which is hard
to explain but is easy on the ear. By their last
song, the fans were really coming round and there
was a collective groan when the last song was
done.
The venue started filling up more when word spread
that the support band had finished. Everyone was
anticipating a quick changeover because there
were still two bands to play. They were right.
Within 15 minutes, Rolo Tomassi were standing
onstage with their backs to the crowd looking
ready to explode into the first song. Well, that
did happen . . . kinda. They blasted into what
I will describe as experi-metal - experimental
metal mixed  with screamo mixed with performance
art. Eva Spence is a petite, cute looking girl
and everyone was expecting this sweet innocent
voice. When she opened her mouth and started screaming,
while prancing about the stage like a carefree
fairy everyone just stopped and looked at each
other while probably thinking “what the
fuck??” Overall it was a weird, surreal
and captivating performace which on the surface
seemed to lack structure. It was very different
from anything mainstream. Rolo Tomassi are definitely
very creative, complex and talented but they are
so unique and off the wall that I just didn’t
get what they were about.
There was definitely a buzz going around the
crowd as everyone realised that the Cancer Bats
were only minutes away from taking to the stage.
This was who everyone came to see. The band arrived
onstage to huge cheers and chants. They all took
their positions in darkness and all was quiet
for a moment. Then, it all kicked off. The lights
came on and the band exploded into their first
song. Within moments we had the first moshpit
of many. The crowd were loving every minute of
it. For the entire set Liam bounced around the
stage, never stopping to take a break. The whole
band had big smiles on their faces all night and
they enjoyed it as much as the fans. The set was
full of intensity and passion but you wouldn’t
expect anything less from the Cancer Bats.
Psychic Kids 3.5/5
Rolo Tomassi 3/5
Cancer Bats 4/5
Review By Craig Young |
