PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Tonights pouring rain seemed to have put some fans off attending the gig – the venue was only around a third full which was disappointing for a Friday night gig, but none of the bands let it bother them and the fans who did brave the rain got to see a great gig.
Blitz kids started the night off. This young four-piece band was nominated as ‘Best British Newcomers’ at last years Kerrang! Awards, so I was interested to see how they were. They certainly know how to put on a good show – they moved around and used the space available on the stage and the singer was very good at getting the crowd involved and generally did a great job of starting the night off.
A good set: 6.5/10
LostAlone were next up. They are a three-piece band from Derby who have played Download festival as well as supporting some very big names, so clearly know how to put in a good live performance. Again they used the space available to the maximum moving around and generally looking like they were having a great time while playing.
They suffered from a technical problem early on but handled it very well – I’ve seen bands really struggle to know what to do when they have technical problems but LostAlone kept the crowd entertained while the problems were being fixed. I’d listened to the band’s new album (I’m A UFO In This City) quite a bit in the fortnight before the gig and enjoyed it, and I was pleased to see that they sound just as good (if not better) live.
A very good set: 8/10
Tonight alive are tonight’s headliners. A female fronted band from Sydney Australia, they have just been announced for the Kerrang tour next year alongside Black Veil Brides. A pop-punk band their twin guitar driven sound has plenty of power in a live setting and they really went down well with the crowd, and singer Jenna McDougall really had the crowd under her control, getting them to wave their arms, bounce up and down, clap in time etc. At one point there was even a big circle pit going – something I certainly hadn’t expected to see, but it was clear the young audience was definitely having a good time. Musically they were very good – impressive enough that I bought a copy of their newly released debut album (What Are You So Scared Of?) at the end of the night.
A great band: 8.5/10
This really was a great night – three really good young bands in a small venue for a nice low price – you can’t ask for much more than that really. I enjoyed all three bands, but LostAlone and Tonight Alive were both really impressive. Hopefully I’ll catch LostAlone next month when they support Evanescence on their UK arena tour.
