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Review |
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 Never in my long gig-going career have I seen a
queue quite this size outside the Academy. For anyone
that knows the area, the eager teenagers snake well
past Scruffy Murphy’s on the corner, and by
the time I fight my way in, I’ve missed the
first act, In Case Of Fire. Nonetheless, it’s
good to see such an enthusiastic crowd has formed
so early in the night, and I’m astounded by
the number of people they’ve managed to squeeze
into this Tardis of a venue. The pull of some fantastic
acts, teamed with the sponsorship of Kerrang! and
Relentless, means that the evening’s tickets
have long since sold out.
 With five bands to get through, and a strict
curfew of 11pm, Black Tide are hot on the heels
of In Case Of Fire. They’re a heavy metal
band from Miami, and they’ve brought their
sunny attitude with them. Smiling through the
entire set, they thrash around the stage with
incredible energy, delivering some amazing riffs
worthy of Dragonforce. Sadly, their set is limited
to 30 minutes, but they could have entertained
the crowd all night.
The eagerly anticipated Dir En Grey take to the
stage next, in all their pretentious glory. The
reason behind the mysterious box that was placed
in the centre of the stage before the band’s
arrival suddenly becomes apparent – it is
for lead singer, Kyo, to stand on. It serves two
purposes: It elevates his small stature, as well
as lighting him eerily from below. Unfortunately,
it becomes a bit of a one-man show, with the spotlight
firmly on Kyo, and the other members, quite literally
plunged into darkness on either side of the stage.
Sadly, I fail to see what all the fuss is about
with Dir En Grey, and Kyo’s screaming and
posing begins to grate even after a few songs.
 The brilliantly named, Bring Me The Horizon are
up next. For those of you wondering, their name
is taken directly from the last line of the first
Pirates Of The Caribbean film. Having formed in
2004, they’re still a relatively young band,
but are enjoying plenty of success already. As
with all the bands on tonight’s bill, they
have extraordinary energy, and the crowd absolutely
love them. The lead, Oli, bounds around the stage,
encouraging plenty of crowd-surfers, and even
resting his head on a security guard’s shoulder
during one of their songs. The other members have
plenty of energy, too, but the focus is firmly
on Oli.
As we await the arrival of the final act of the
night, Mindless Self Indulgence, the crowd begins
to chant ‘M-S-I’ in anticipation (it’s
unfortunate that their initials sound so much
like MFI). It’s clear from the number of
MSI hoodies and t-shirts on the adolescent audience,
that most of the mob is there for  them. Finally,
they explode onto the stage. As most of you will
know, MSI have an incredibly unique style, fusing
electronica with metal, and even mixing in some
rap and hip-hop for good measure. They play a
long set full of varied tracks, and make the previous
acts look positively tame in comparison. To call
them energetic would be an understatement: Jimmy
leaps around the stage, spending more time on
the drum kit, stools, and amps than on the ground;
and Steve takes to smashing various pieces of
furniture mid-song. If anyone can pull off this
radical style, it’s these guys, and they
give it everything they’ve got. They’re
the perfect end to an amazing night, and the crowd
don’t hesitate to shower them with gifts
(the best probably being a customised Kerrang!
t-shirt). As we filter out onto the street, the
road is lined with parents in estate cars, and
I can’t help but think that tonight’s
young crowd will remember this gig for years to
come.
Black Tide – 4/5
Dir En Grey – 2/5
Bring Me The Horizon – 4/5
Mindless Self Indulgence - 5/5
Review By Helen Williams |
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| Mindless
Self Indulgence |
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| Bring
Me The Horizon |
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| Dir
En Grey |
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| Black
Tide |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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