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MEAN FIDDLER
Thursday 7th October 2004
reviewed by Prodigal
The good news is I didn't get back to see the support bands (Renegade Playboys) performance. From what I heard,it gave a new meaning to the words "utter Glam-bollocks!".
Anyway, onto the main act, DragonForce...got an excellent spot to the right of the stage upstairs, with no glass to muffle the sound. Unfortunately, there was this group of piss-heads who thought it was a good idea to keep yelling "tits for beer" for most of the evening! Eventually, a security chap told them to can it. The place was packed solid, with a lot of Viking helmets & plastic swords to be seen! That should give you a good idea of the type of music DF deal in. Speed power metal with warrior/war/fantasy lyrics in abundance as you would expect. The unique thing about this band is their amazingly fast guitar solos, especially from the main lead player Herman Li. They have a lot of variation in their music, it's not all played at a million miles an hour as the Beautiful "starfire" power-ballad proved. There was a power failure halfway through because "the guitars were too loud"!! I reckon it was staged 'cos it gave the drummer & keyboard player an excuse to do (superb) solos & for the guitarists to do some wicked air-guitar playing. What was impressive was that they carried on from the exact moment in the song (Black Winter Night) the power went - very cool & skillful.
Another amusing moment was when Mr Li's hair (which comes down to his waist) got tangled up in his guitar (ouch!) & a roadie had to untangle it! The crowd were going bonkers, there was more stage diving here than at 10 Slayer concerts - it was a fierce mosh pit indeed!
SETLIST :
Black Fire
Fury Of The Storm
Fields Of Despair
Black Winter Night (drum & keyboard solos)
Dawn Over A New World
Sam Totman (2nd lead guitarist) solo
Soldiers Of The Wasteland
Prepare For War
My Spirit Will Go On
Starfire
Valley Of The Damned
Heart Of A Dragon
9 out of 10
A really great gig once DF got onstage....this band should go far - they are a dynamic live band, with tons of energy & an abundance of skill in all areas. They really are on the way up in my opinion & if you ever get a chamce to see them live GO FOR IT!!
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