What made it doubly as stupid was that the venue opened at 1pm and there was no re-admission so considering chucking out time was around 10.30 that’s a long day standing up without food or water.

The first time we ventured to the bar it took about 45 mins to get served, the second it was closer to 2 hours. On the second outing we got smart and purchased 25 beers. By this time I wasn’t in the best mood to watch whining emo bands but I persevered. So here we go;

Fightstar were ok, Charlie from Busted relentlessly trying to convince the fans that he deserves their respect after leaving the multi million selling 3-piece.

Mae had a few good tunes, the most memorable being ‘Someone Else’s Arms’ however overall just another emo band that will surely be forgotten by next year.

Lucky Nine are a hardcore ‘super’ group comprising of members of Hundred Reasons, A, and Earthtone 9. They were pretty good, heavier than Hundred Reasons which lead singer Colin Doran seemed to revel in.

When Alexisonfire started it caused a small stampede of kids running to the front, obviously a popular choice today. They started off well but I grew tired of them about half way through the set. They did however finish on a high with ‘No Transitory’ which is a great song.

Rise Against, ummm don’t remember. Think that was when the 25 beers arrived.

Coheed and Cambria were a definite highlight and up to this point the best band on the bill. Their music seems so much more mature than all the bands that had preceded them, a welcome break in the emo mould.

Up next were Finch and I, like many others in the crowd were looking forward to seeing what they had to offer. I really liked their debut album but saw them at Reading in 2003 and remember thinking they were a little disappointing and lead singer Nate Barcalow came across like an arrogant little shit. Again I was left with exactly the same feeling.

Last up on the bill were Funeral for a Friend. This is who the crowds had come to see and for about an hour the bellies stopped rumbling and the dehydration took a back seat. They treated us to various hits from new album ‘Hours’ including the fantastic new single ‘Streetcar’. Matt Davies is a great frontman and interacts with the crowd telling jokes and generally having a good time. The only negative thing that I have to say is they did keep going on about how tired they were (due to recording the new album) and that Pro Plus was the only thing keeping them going, to be fair I think the thing that should be keeping them going was playing the biggest headline show of their careers to a crowd of 8,000 fans singing along to all their tunes. But Pro Plus does the job I guess.

Overall I left the venue tired and hungry. I’d be surprised if this event happened next year but if it does they better make some drastic changes or I for one will definitely not be getting a ticket.

Review by Rob Bassett
www.giveitaname.co.uk
www.funeralforafriend.com
www.finchmusic.com
www.coheedandcambria.com
www.riseagainst.com
www.theonlybandever.com - Alexisonfire
www.theluckynine.com
www.whatismae.com
www.fightstarmusic.com

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