Review - The Eastpak Antidote Tour ft A Day To Remember - Nottingham Rock City - Thursday 17th November 2011

This year's edition of the annual Eastpak Antidote Tour sees A Day To Remember return to these shores and take their crowns atop of the scene which they have transcended in the last year or so, backed up by the likes of August Burns Red, The Ghost Inside and Living With Lions.

Arriving later than ideal, I missed the opening two bands, but managed to catch the closing parts of August Burns Red as they laid waste to the Rock City venue. Thunderously heavy, the boys who have been making a huge impression on the Billboard charts with recent release Leveler smash it out of the park from what I could see. They certainly get a big reaction from the crowd upon their departure.

A Day To Remember are a really big fucking deal these days, and they not only have the showmanship to back it up, but the songs. Any band that can lay waste to Rock City for a mammoth 19 song set, clearly has the chops to transcend genres, and tonight's offering is nothing short of revelatory. There is a party atmosphere tonight as the band pull out all the stops to make this a memorable evening for all of their fans.

Sticks & Bricks opens proceedings with a bang (literally) with confetti cannons going off the moment that riff kicks in, and sets the tone for what is to follow. For Those Who Have Heart staples like The Danger In Starting A Fire and A Shot In The Dark follow soon after, leaving all manner of destruction in their wake as the pits beat the shit out of each other, while the rest bust a lung to sing along with the anthemic refrains.

No band out there in the world merge such brutal riffs and powerhouse screams with catchy infectious chorus, and often dubbed "pop mosh", it is hard to doubt that on nights like this.

The hits just keep coming too; whether it's the ferocious You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic or the incendiary anthem of All I Want, ADTR hit hard tonight, and leave devastation in their wake. Alongside huge hits, the band really pull out all the stops to make the evening memorable for all in attendance. As ...Fort Lauderdale kicks in, toilet rolls get launched into the crowd, there is a suited animal chucking out t-shirts into the pit at one point, there is confetti, co2 streams, and pretty much the kitchen sink thrown into the mix for good measure.

As frontman Jeremy McKinnon ascends the crowd in a huge plastic ball for Homesick, proceeding to walk across the top of the baying throng, you know that you are witnessing a spectacle of mammoth proportions. At no point though does it take away from the music. This Is The House That Doubt Built is huge, 2nd Sucks incites pure mayhem in the number of pits that open up, and You Should Have Killed Me. . . is a nice nod back to where it all begin for the band, and is a treat to the diehards who have been into ADTR since the outset.

The main set closes on the inevitable The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle to riotous response. If It Means A Lot To You starts the encore and is backed by a gargantuan hook carried by the crowd into the stratosphere. As the acapella section opens the closing The Downfall Of Us All, things pick up a notch yet again, and is a fitting way to end the night.

Going to gigs whilst riddled with flu is not ideal, but one thing's for sure; I didn't half sweat that out over the course of the evening. Sweaty, life affirming, and damn sure one of the best nights out around right now.

Setlist - Sticks & Bricks / The Danger In Starting a Fire / A Shot in the Dark / You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic / My Life For Hire / All I Want / I'm Made Of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of? / All Signs Point to Fort Lauderdale / Mr Highway's Thinking About The End / This Is The House That Doubt Built / 2nd Sucks / Why Walk On Water When We've Got Boats / It's Complicated / Homesick / Have Faith In Me / You Should've Killed Me When You Had The Chance / The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle / If It Means A Lot To You / The Downfall Of Us Al