LIVE

© Nigel Crane

VOX ROCK ROCK SOUND marches around the arena accosting the punters…

Paul Harding and Sam Carr, both 17, from Woking How long have you been a Lostprophets fan

for? Paul: “Since ‘Start Something’ came out.” What’s your favourite album? Paul: “It’s still ‘Start Something’ because it’s a lot rockier than the others.” Sam: “They’ve gone emo now when they used to be skater.” Which song are you hoping they’ll play tonight? Sam: “‘We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan’ because it’s so heavy that it’ll get us in the mood.”

Georgina McCrae, 14, from Chertsey and Joscelyn Terrell, 14, from Englefield Green What’s your

favourite Lostprophets album? Joscelyn: “‘Liberation Transmission’ because it’s got the best tracks and it’s why we’ve come tonight.” The next album is meant to be darker and heavier – does that sound good to you? Joscelyn: “As long as it’s got the same mix of darker stuff and some pop, it’ll be good. What did you make of Adam Lazzara’s fake accent just now? Georgina: “We were just talking about that! What on earth was he on about?”

James Coulson, 20, from Dagenham and Joe Saunders, 20, from Romford How long have you

been Lostprophets fans for? James: “About three years.” What’s your favourite album? James: “‘The Fake Sound Of Progress’. It’s the original.” Joe: “‘Start Something’ because every song’s fucking awesome!” Which songs are you hoping they’ll play tonight? Joe: “‘Last Train Home’” James: “‘Everybody’s Screaming’”

Rosie Benham, 14, from Southampton, Kev Daglish, 18, from Kingston and Emily Byrne, 14, from Southampton

Who are you here to see? Kev: “Aiden, but I’ve seen them play better. I don’t really like the new songs. I prefer their album to their live show.” Emily: “Taking Back Sunday. They were awesome. I’ve seen them before and they were just as good.” Rosie: “Taking Back Sunday and Lostprophets. TBS were good but I’ve seen them play better. There were a lot of pauses and Adam kept repeating himself over and over.”

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LOSTPROPHETS SUPPORT: AIDEN / TAKING BACK SUNDAY WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON Like Taking Back Sunday after them, Aiden fall victim to dire sound quality during their first couple of songs. It really shouldn’t be happening at a venue like this, but what they initially lose in musical impact they make up for in enthusiasm. Singer wiL Francis isn’t going to let their opening slot deter him from treating this like a headline gig, and he pulls every trick in the book to convince himself and the crowd of just that. Whether it’s the fail-safe of asking fans if they’re “fucking excited” about the other bands, or turning down the house lights to reveal a sea of lighters, glow sticks and mobile phones, the band’s boundless energy stops such tactics from seeming old, and they ensure that it’s a sweaty but exhilarated mob that welcomes Taking Back Sunday. The decision to take to the stage wearing creepy-as-hell Guy Fawkes masks should give some clue as to the mischievous mood Adam Lazzara and co are in. It starts off normally enough. ‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?’ and ‘Liar (It Takes One To Know One)’ provide a double-whammy of super-charged pop-punk, while Lazzara – surely a flamenco dancer in a former life – pirouettes and shimmies around the stage. But the minute he opens his mouth to speak (extensively) between songs, it’s clear he’s on a different planet. Affecting a Southern US accent and harping on like an overzealous preacher is amusing for five seconds, but it soon grates, and Lazzara’s bizarre banter is the ruin of an otherwise top-notch set. Perhaps Taking Back Sunday thought that injecting a bit of “comedy” into their performance might help them compete with Lostprophets’ live extravaganza, which tonight begins with the band rocking out behind a vast white curtain so only their silhouettes are visible. It all adds to the building anticipation, and by the time the curtain falls for ‘We Still Kill The Old Way’, the fans are fit to explode. Backdrops, banners, video screens and an industrial-sized lighting rig all follow, but there’s no doubt that even without the impressive stage props, Lostprophets would fill Wembley with their rock anthems alone. Indeed, after 10 years in the business, it’s hardly surprising that they’ve evolved into an incredibly slick live act. If anything, the revelation is the number of quality tunes they pack into the show, with hit after crowd-pleasing hit over an hour-and-a-half set. From the nostalgic roar of approval that greets ‘The Fake Sound Of Progress’ to the deafening sing-alongs that accompany ‘Rooftops’ and ‘Can’t Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won’t Save You This Time)’, the pace is unrelenting and there isn’t a duff song all night. A sneak preview from the band’s new album turns out to be a mind-blowing metal assault, and only adds to the sense that Lostprophets are unstoppable right now. Clearly loving every moment, Ian Watkins finds time for a bit of fun in an insanely demanding performance by asking the whole venue to join in a Mexican wave. “We’ve combined the excitement of football with the wonder of rock,” he announces by way of justification. He’s right of course, but in pulling off Wembley in such spectacular fashion, they’ve also done a lot more besides. VICTORIA DURHAM

LIVE

OSTINATO BAR MONSTA, LONDON

Playing their debut UK show to a criminally poor turnout, DC / Virginia instrumentalists Ostinato (the usual trio expanded tonight by the addition of Anna Matijasic on violin) don’t fail to deliver as they dish up material from their current ‘Chasing The Form’ album and 03’s stunning ‘Left Too Far Behind’. Opener ‘Goal Of All Believers’ comes across like the twisted lovechild of a fling between Ennio Morricone and Mogwai and collides effortlessly with the sumptuous tones of ‘Annotation’. The only flaw in tonight’s marvellous set comes when ex-The Hidden Hand drummer David Hennessey (guitarist in Ostinato) tries a little axe theatrics with a beer bottle – but the guitar’s not having any of it and proceeds to cut out during the closing number. To the yells for an encore, they take to the tiny stage once more, sans Matijasic, for one final blazing riff attack. Vowing to return soon, let’s hope next time a few more people turn out to witness their spectacular sounds. DARREN TAYLOR

PRIESTBIRD CLUB PHOENIX, MANCHESTER Priestbird are a strange proposition. On the one hand you have a wildly expansive and technically gifted band uninhibited enough to showcase a set of cosmic soundscapes that not so much push the envelope as attach it to the next rocket out of Cape Canaveral but, on the other hand, you have a band who create the sound of Pink Floyd gone doom or Bernard Herrmann jamming with Goblin Cock which, despite such impressive musical ambition, is a bit bloody odd. However, given the chance their gutsy apporach deserves (this is a band that also, quite seriously, employ the use of a full-sized gong and double-necked bass / guitar) they provide the sort of live experience that impresses well enough, and if the music might be slightly way out there, it only goes to prove that there are still some genuine musical pioneers left in the world. CHRIS HIDDEN

AMON AMARTH / FINNTROLL ROCK CITY, NOTTINGHAM When there’s a 17-foot bearded Viking peering over you requiring that you listen to what his band are about to play, you listen. The sold-out basement of Rock City is already steamed up and ready for some epic Swedish heaviness after Finntroll have impressed with their folk-infused metal, and no one could more fittingly satisfy the hunger than Amon Amarth. Between quaffing from a huge horn that in the wrong hands could be deemed a lethal weapon, these Scandinavian giants exhibit their catalogue of Norse mythology-inspired war anthems that both crush and astound the excited spectators. This band have been industrious since 92, and judging by the constant grin on the hairy chops of frontman Johan Hegg, they have thrived on every minute of it. Following an encore with ‘The Pursuit Of Vikings’, everyone exits the building substantially more battered and bruised than they were three hours ago. SHANE HARRISON

WILL HAVEN METRO, LONDON When news broke that Grady Avenell had stepped down as Will Haven’s vocalist it resulted in most of the band’s planned UK shows being cancelled by promoters who feared the Sacramento bruisers wouldn’t be able to pull in the punters without their long-serving screamer. Gutting to say the least. The upshot of this is that tonight WH – now fronted by Red Tape’s Jeff Jaworski – are a band with a point to prove. In the cramped, sweaty confines of the Metro, there’s nowhere to hide as the quartet hammer out fan-pleasing favourites like ‘If She Could Speak’ and ‘Stick Up Kid’ as if their lives depend on it (for added hardcore authenticity, bassist Mike Martin even spills a little blood). Jaworski commands the stage with ease, displaying boundless energy throughout, and as the discordant kidneypunch of ‘Carpe Diem’ brings things to a close, the resounding chants of “Will Haven! Will Haven!” say it all. MIKE KEMP

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rock-sound.net [107]