With the weather holding (at least for the early part), Saturday’s proceedings are kicked start over on the main stage by up and coming Reading metallers Sylosis. Tipped for big things, it is not hard to see why, with their oftentimes Trivium-esque metal assault. Perhaps lacking a few killers “hits” if you will, there is clear potential here for big things, and if they can put together an album anywhere near as good as Trivium’s breakthrough record Ascendancy, they could become real contenders.
The guitarwork is impeccable, the vocals brutal, and as an opening to today’s proceedings, they go down well.
Setlist - Empyreal, Part 1 / Reflections Through Fire / Eclipsed / Altered States Of Consciousness / Teras
Heading over for my first Bohemia experience of 2011, While She Sleeps lay waste to the third stage tent, as they too set their stall out as ones to watch. Hailing from Bring Me The Horizon territory, the Sheffield hardcore mob thrown down, bust shapes, and quite frankly tear everyone within the tent a new one.
They are nothing short of stunning. 11.30am can be a little early to show your hardcore best, but these boys have no trouble starting the pits down the front, and the frenzied reaction to the cuts from their immense debut The North Stands For Nothing suggest that they are one of the next UK bands to take a step up. If they hone it in right for their next release, they could be damn near unstoppable.
Setlist - Proud of the Demon In Me / Be(lie)ve / The North Stands For Nothing / Hearts Aside Our Horses / Crows
I caught a little big of Richard Cheese on the Saturn stage on my way over to the main arena, who I missed as I had never heard anything about. However, he drew a massive crowd, and sounded hilarious from the bit that I heard. Think comedy lounge jazz versions of popular hits.
Architects were up next on Apollo, showing everyone just why they are tipped for massive things, and expected to follow in the footsteps of Bring Me The Horizon. It takes Sam Carter a little time to get the crowd going (it is 12pm after all) but his constant banter works, winning them over in their droves. Instigating the crowd to get on each other’s shoulders for a rousing Heartburn, Architects are triumphant here today, and the likes of Learn To Live and set closer Early Grave prove their credentials in fine fashion.
The Here And Now is going to be a defining record for them, and the likes of Day In Day Out and Delete Rewind, only prove to show the undoubted potential these boys possess.
It’s the graveyard shift for sure, but they put in a solid shift early doors, and get everyone in the mood in sporadic sunshine.
Setlist - Day In Day Out / Delete Rewind / Follow The Water / In Elegance / Heartburn / .Learn to Live / Early Grave
In what was unquestionably one of the strangest sets of the weekend, Gallows followed up on the Saturn stage, just hours removed from the announcement that the firebrand riotstarter Frank Carter was quitting vocal duties, to pursue another project. Completely out of the blue, it was not only a decision that sent shockwaves through the rock scene, but also one that clearly affected the bands performance here today. There were still immensely bright moments in the form of In The Belly Of A Shark, Abandon Ship, and huge “Knebworth” Is The Reason, yet it all seemed so detached today.
Frank spent most of the set in the crowd, away from his band mates, and although reports suggest that there is no bad blood between them, there was something unsettling about their set today, suggesting that that may well not be entirely true. The vocalist still manages, at the second time of asking, to incite an enormous circle pit around the sound booth, but this was hardly the band’s finest show. It made me regret more than ever not seeing them the week before at their critically acclaimed Manchester Moho gig.
For a band that were touted as the biggest and best punk rock band of their generation, it is a shame to bear witness to the untimely demise of Gallows. That being said, today’s show was nothing short of memorable, even if the reasons for it being so were completely unclear. Somehow riveting, heart stopping, and unforgettable, and arguably as chaotic as the shows on which the band built their name.
Their hearts may not have been fully in it, but it was still an enthralling and captivating 30 minutes.
Setlist - Misery / Leeches / London Is The Reason (Knebworth Is The Reason) / Abandon Ship / Black Eyes / Gold Dust / I Dread The Night / In The Belly Of A Shark / Orchestra Of Wolves
After Gallows near implosion, Cavalera Conspiracy’s set felt a little workmanlike, but tiring legs and a headache meant that some time out was drastically needed in the vicinity of the Apollo stage. There was nothing inherently wrong with the band’s set, but for me, it didn’t set the world alight on this day. In fairness though, that is probably down to my tired legs and sore head than the band’s performance. Pummelling live metal is probably the last thing you would want with a headache, sans paracetamol. Covers of Sepultura’s Territory, Refuse/Resist and a set closing Roots Bloody Roots were special moments, watching the brother Cavalera law waste to the main stage, but I didn’t feel their set today, which surprised me considering how much I enjoyed their album. That being said, they didn’t really play a great deal off it, in a streamlined set clearly designed to give the people what they wanted.
They will have better days, but Cavalera Conspiracy put in a decent shift, with Max even bringing on two of his songs to jam on one track with him (Nailbomb cover Cockroaches??).
Setlist - Warlord / Inflikted / Sanctuary / Refuse/Resist (Sepultura cover) / Territory (Sepultura cover) / Black Ark / Cockroaches (Nailbomb cover) / Killing Inside / Roots Bloody Roots (Sepultura cover)
In what was one of the biggest disappointments for me of the entire weekend, Kids In Glass Houses were next up on the Saturn stage, previewing some of their new material alongside some of the hits. The problem is, having heard Gold Blood and Animals already, I am not sure that I dig them. They may well grow on me, but at the moment, my anticipation for that new record has drifted away. Dirt was my favourite album of 2010, and with In Gold Blood it looks like they could have moved away from everything that made that album impeccable.
Aled’s vocals are also a little off today, and compared to their headline shows last November (of which I saw two), their set was poor by comparison. They are capable of much better than this performance. Sunshine and Matters At All thankfully get an airing, but it would still have been great to hear Artbreaker I and The Best Is Yet To Come, two of the finest songs in their back catalogue. The highlight of their short time with us today is definitely the moment that, with rain pouring down onto the second stage, Aled takes a well thrusted knee slide across the front of the stage floor.
That says it all really on today’s day. Hopefully their UK tour will see them back to their scintillating best, and hopefully that album delivers as much as it should do. Roll on August 15th.
Setlist - Gold Blood / Undercover Lover / Youngblood (Let It Out) / For Better Or Hearse / Animals / Saturday / Sunshine / Matters At All
Heading over to see Bad Religion, the heavens completely open, so a burger stop on the way to seek refuge in Bohemia takes place, thwarted by the idiots barricading people out of the tent due to capacity issues. Denied; refuge is sought in the deluge checking out the stalls, which is something I never normally do at a festival. While I’m on the subject, Impericon FTW! I was pretty gutted about missing Bad Religion, but I at least did get to still hear most of 21st Century Digital Boy and Los Angeles Is Burning.
Setlist - The Resist Stance / Social Suicide / 21st Century (Digital Boy) / Los Angeles Is Burning / Wrong Way Kids / Punk Rock Song / The Devil In Stitches / Recipe For Hate / New Dark Ages / The Defense / Do What You Want / Infected / American Jesus / Sorrow / Fuck Armageddon... This is Hell
From here on in, the weather becomes temperamental and sporadic, often changing from rain to sunshine in a matter of minutes. Interspersed with that is three massive thundery showers, which threaten to dampen the mood, but which fail on this occasion.
Sum 41 stride out onto the second stage to a heroes welcome, making their first UK festival appearance in some time. They have been clearly missed. The Green Day-esque Reason To Believe opens their set, before they smash into their hit strewn back catalogue, in one of the most fun filled sets of the day. The Hell Song sends the large crowd into a frenzy,as does Skumfuk, We’re All To Blame and the Does This Look Infected? duo of the outstanding Over My Head (Better Off Dead) and Still Waiting. It is a shame that the latter is cut off by the sound man, with Sum 41 clearly running over time, but it is not before the band have smashed through their two biggest hits, Fat Lip and In Too Deep.
A final run through of Pain For Pleasure (which we would have got had the sound man not been such a dick for the sake of 3 minutes or so) would have put the icing on the cake, but their set was an undoubted success.
Perhaps now some of the other festivals will follow suit and book these crazy Canuck’s for some more good time pop-punk fun. And let’s face it, Deryk Whibley has the best name of ANYBODY at this festival this weekend. Guaranteed.
Setlist - Reason To Believe / The Hell Song / Skumfuk / We're All To Blame / Walking Disaster / Screaming Bloody Murder / Over My Head (Better Off Dead) / Master of Puppets + Enter Sandman (Metallica covers) / Fat Lip / In Too Deep / Still Waiting (sound cut half way through the song, due to the band running over time)
As the rain pours once again through the festival fields, You Me At Six take their slot as third from top on the Apollo to a passionate, if depleted crowd, in one of their first shows for a while. It is not their finest performance either with Josh’s vocals sounding a little ropey at times, but it is a spirited one, as they try to whip up some action with a crowd getting wetter by the minute. They succeed as well with a couple of huge circle pits enveloping the two sides of the T-barrier down the front of the crowd.
You cannot deny the power of tracks such as The Consequence, Underdog and Save It For The Bedroom either, and although far from their finest hour, You Me At Six prove that they have the ability to work well on stages of this grandeur. Their imminent third album could well be a stormer as well if they keep getting better, and this is not going to be the last time these boys grace stages of this size.
Setlist - The Consequence (with Sam Carter of Architects) / Kiss & Tell / Save It For The Bedroom / Hard To Swallow / Trophy Eyes / If I Were In Your Shoes / Safer To Hate Her / Stay With Me / The Rumour / Liquid Confidence / Underdog
As the rain continues to fall, All Time Low are next up on the Saturn stage, suffering the most from the inclement weather, greeting a crowd far too small for a band of their size. No matter how big you are though, and how good you are, if the weather is just that bad, there is not much more a band can do. However the crowd that have assembled to see them are greeted to a hit packed set, showcasing some the bands finest moments, alongside some of the new material from Dirty Work. As an album, it hasn’t really clicked with me as of yet, and I have been a little disappointed with it as a whole, but the finer moments such as Do You Want Me Dead? and Timebomb are something else. Sandwich that in between the likes of Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t, Six Feet Under The Stars, Jasey Rae and Poppin’ Champgne, there is more than enough here for the diehards at a festival set.
The on-stage banter is as gripping and hilarious as normal, and although there is a core fanbase of teen girls that adore this band, there is so much more to them that older fans can really get into. They have some cracking material too, and in spite of the rain, the two main instigations Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth have no problem with getting down into the crowd to greet their fans and play in their faces, even in the pouring rain.
The absence of Break Your Little Heart is gutting, but the closing one-two of Weightless and Dear Maria, Count Me In are stunning, and prove that there is still every chance that All Time Low are destined for the big leagues.
Setlist - Do You Want Me (Dead?) / Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't) / I Feel Like Dancin' / Jasey Rae / Time-Bomb / Six Feet Under The Stars / Poppin' Champagne / Forget About It / Lost In Stereo / Weightless / Dear Maria, Count Me In
That then leads me to Weezer.
What the hell can you say about Weezer that hasn’t already been said?
Their Leeds Festival set last year has already gone down in folklore as one of the finest sets ever played their, and quite frankly, there are not many better bands for festival slots than these boys. Bringing hits by the bucketload, along with some of the most humourous “geek-chic” rock moves in the game from captivating frontman Rivers Cuomo, Weezer are seasoned pros, and cannot fail to ignite any crowd put before them. People sing until their voices are sore, and Weezer just keep the hits coming in an hour long set that flies back incredibly quickly.
Rivers is an insane frontman, and with the likes of Surf Wax America, Pork And Beans, Beverley Hills, Hash Pipe and a breathtaking set finisher in Buddy Holly, Weezer are one of THE bands of the weekend. Their Wheatus cover is fantastic, and the only drop in their set comes from a cover of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android. The truth is they can leave that rubbish out, because they have enough hits of their own, and nobody watching their set leaves without anything other than a huge smile on their face.
Another near impeccable outing from Rivers Cuomo and Co. A truly fantastic band.
Setlist - Undone - The Sweater Song / Surf Wax America / Say It Ain't So / Beverly Hills / Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus cover) / Dope Nose / Island In The Sun / (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To / Perfect Situation / My Name Is Jonas / Hash Pipe / Paranoid Android (Radiohead cover) / Pork And Beans / Buddy Holly
When they were announced, even I was surprised to see Biffy Clyro headlining the Saturday main stage, but as time has gone on, it is a booking that made more and more sense to me. I have really got into Biffy over the last few months, and this was their night to step up and see if they could mix it with the big boys. There is not a more deserving band in the country who deserved the shot, and the Scot rockers did not disappoint one bit.
Their set was nothing short of career-defining.
Bringing a huge production to the Apollo stage, they proved that they are now a bona fide arena rock band, who can easily hold their own as headliners on nights such as this. A stunningly anthemic The Captain, completely with streamers makes an instant mark, and they do not let up for their entire 90 minute set. Weaving between their classic latter day material, whilst still including early stuff for the diehard fans who have watched them work their way up to this night tirelessly from the toilet venues in which they made their name and built their early reputation, tonight is a landmark set for the boys.
In fact, it couldn’t have been any more perfect.
After the powerful opener, recent single Booooom, Blast & Ruin sees the place go off, and tracks such as Bubbles (complete with, you guessed it, huge bubbles), That Golden Rule, Shock Shock, Saturday Superhouse and Who’s Got A Match (with some cracking pyro) are phenomenal rock songs, custom built for shows such as this. Their earlier songs go down incredibly well with the crowd, although largely unfamiliar to me.
I am more of a latter day Biffy fan I must admit, but even the old stuff sounded pretty awesome. I dig into their back catalogue I feel would serve me well one day soon. A cheeky intro of Slayer’s Raining Blood also preludes the opening of There’s No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake.
Even the more intimate moments are judged impeccably well tonight by the band, fitting seamlessly into a set that was heavy on hard rocking moments, tailored for a metal festival crowd. The beauty and the majestic nature of Machines and Many Of Horror are nothing less than awe-inspiring though, evoking HUGE sing-along’s from the massive crowd.
Returning for an encore of Glitter And Trauma and Mountains (sandwiching another rarely aired older song) Biffy close the Saturday night in stunning fashion, on a night where they not only cemented their sterling reputation, but on an evening where Simon Neil proved on the biggest of stages that he is a superstar.
His bandmates are no slouches either, and the chemistry between the three is something to behold. They are beyond tight.
An outstanding coming of age. May they no longer be doubted as a headlining material.
Setlist - The Captain / Booooom, Blast & Ruin / 57 / Bubbles / Born On A Horse / Stress On The Sky / God & Satan / Whorses / All The Way Down: Prologue Chapter 1 / That Golden Rule / Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies / Shock Shock / 9/15ths / The Joke's On Us / Machines / Who's Got a Match? / Saturday Superhouse / Know Your Quarry / There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake (Slayer's Raining Blood Intro) / Many Of Horror / Glitter And Trauma / Cloud Of Stink / Mountains
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