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Saturday 28th January 2006
actually been about real Rock / Metal?
Due to the Queue mentioned above, I missed Aiden, so I can't comment on them. At the time I did enter the Academy, the 2nd band - Still Remains were on, and hearing them
made me wish I remained outside. Plenty of energy on stage, but that was all - zero musical talent......perhaps I caught them on a bad night, but they came across as a very, very poor attempt to replicate Machine Head. No competition really.
Next up were Hawthorne Heights, certainly an improvement on the previous band in that they did at least have a couple of decent tunes......but in saying that, they were pretty average, despite having a guitarist who makes Janick Gers shy and reserved in comparison. Also, considering they had 3 lead guitarists, they did not sound that heavy!! Somebody should tell them to turn the amps up to 11.
Ok, on the main event - Bullet For My Valentine, after buying the record on recomendation from Cars, the CD has been pretty much stuck in my player ever since - a stunning combination of Old skool Maiden / Metallica solo's & melodies mixed with modern, hardcore metal. Producing a unique, very heavy & emotional style of metal. My concern was could they reproduce this in a live setting? The answer is a emphatic yes....from the stunning (taped) intro leading into the crushing "her voice resides"......through to the wonderful "The End", it just doesn't let up. Each track was a delight, containing some great solo's - the Maiden influence is very clear here - and very strong vocals from vocalist Matt Tuck (with screams and growls from Bass player Jay James!). This band are pretty great live, but the front man needs to loosen up a bit and be a bit more interactive with the crowd......I guess that will come with time. I am so used to Mr Bruce Dickinsons' rants, I forget that not all frontmen have as big an ego as him!
The non musical highlights for me, was the alternate booing and cheering of the crowd when the video screens showed Kerrang covers of My Chemical Romance (boos!) & BFMV ( cheers!) and seeing all the parents waiting outside afterwards for all their little kiddies!!
Musically, It's pretty hard to decide, as it was all a of a very high standard. If pushed to name 3 highlights, I would say Tears Don't Fall, The End & Poison.
Setlist
Taped Intro
Her Voice
4 Words
Suffocating
All These Things
Poison
Spit You Out
Cries In Vain
Just Another Star
Tears Don't Fall
No Control
-------------
Hand Of Blood ??
The End
Summary
All in all, an excellent show, but as I mentioned earlier, the supporting bands to BFMV were pretty poor to say the least. But Bullet rose to the occasion like veterans and performed brilliantly. These boys have cracked it.........
Prodigals Star ratings:
Bullet For My Valentine: 10/10
Overall show: 8 / 10
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