KILBURNFLYER

Has been mental busy at work so not had the chance to update on lots of festivals. Highlights of the last few months:

Hard Rock Road Trip - an metal endurance test in Ibiza - great fun but not too many great bands. Spirytus were awesome as they were last year and some great virtuoso guitarists but nothing that memorable.

Download - shit weather but some fantastic performances- Def Leppard, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper were all great headliners. Saw the Rods for the first time in 30 years (bloody disgrace that they only got 1/2 hour at 11am when Al Murray's shit pub covers band got a good afternoon slot just because he's famous) with notable mentions for the Cult (Astbury did his best to fuck it up but Billy Duffy is godlike and kept the whole thing together) Disturbed, A7X and Down. But the whole show was stolen by Bring Me The Horizon who were fantastic.

Ozzy at Hammersmith - bloody excellent -in great voice and great set list. Sadly I was supposed to see him a few days later at Graspop but he cried off with Laryngitis - a shame.


Graspop- the best organised festival I have ever been to - One main stage and three enormous tents - everyone got at least an hour -loads of bars, toilets and food outlets - sound was good even if the weather was a bit patchy. Scorpions, Judas Priest, Slipknot and Volbeat were all good top of the bill bands - had only seen Volbeat in a short set at download or supporting Metallica the previous year and was great to see them do a fullshow (booked to see them at the Forum later this year). Bring me The Horizon were also brilliant....again. Only sad bit was Whitesnake - a once great band now utter shite.

Sonisphere - the Big 4 were great to see - Slayer won the showdown I think but all my mates would vote for Metallica. The Wildhearts and the Sisters of Mercy in the tent were the only reason to bother with Saturday. Volbeat were again great on Sunday morning and Slipknot splendid headliners but the whole day (nay the whole weekend) was probably nicked by Limp Bizkit who were absolutely fantastic.

KILBURNFLYER

Sonisphere was as good as last year. Slightly smaller than Download it has a much better format. With show alternating on two stages set opposite each other you never miss the main acts - whenever there is something on the main stages that doesn't take your fancy you can go to one of the smaller stages and see something else - always in the hope of discovering the completely unknown band who will headline the whole thing in 3 years time. Anyway the highs and lows for me were:

Friday

Gary Numan was surprisingly hard to dislike. Some great stuff on display and a very tight band.

Alice Cooper - starting with Schools Out always a winner and then 90 minutes throughout his back catalogue - all very good without being thrilling. Finishing with Schools Out was a bizarre decision - if you have run out of decent material (he clearly hadn't given his massive back catalogue) do a cover - don't repeat a song. Still lots of energy and showmanship which made it all worthwhile.

Saturday

Rammstein - had no idea what to expect from the headliner other than the hype about being a brilliant live band. They did not disappoint apart from the fact that they only played for 90 minutes when scheduled for 2 hours. Rarely have I seen such a tight band. Definitely on the list as a must see next time they play the UK.

Motley Crue - a few technical problems did not mar what was great fun show - did everything I wanted and a great reminder of just what a great guitar player Mick Marrs really is; even if he does look like Alice Cooper's older brother.

Anthrax - my least favourite of the big 4 but a good solid show. Joey Belladonna in fine voice.

Placebo - great start with Nancy Boy and good stage set. This lot always play well. Seems a millions years since I saw them for 5DM in a small club in Munich. F good band.

Good Charlotte and Papa Roach - both good in flashes but neither were truly memorable.

Sunday

Iron Maiden are clearly the most successful british hard rock band of the last 30 years but I found this show more than a bit dull. They rather insultingly treated the headline slot at Sonisphere - their only show in the UK this year - as just another stop on the world tour doing the same set they have been touring in the USA i.e very much only stuff from the last 10 years with, Wrathchild and Fear of the Dark apart, older material only getting an airing at the very end of the set and for the encore. A dreadful rendition of Iron Maiden to close but they made up for it with brilliant versions of Number of the Beast and Running Free. I think it is a bit sad that one of the most exciting bands I have ever seen have become so dull and overblown live. Very much like AC/DC they seem to have become too big to be truly exciting and see stadiums and festival headline slots as just another show rather than something a bit special. Headlining Download or Sonisphere should be a thank you gig for the legions of fans where they do a greatest hits set with a few newbies thrown in to keep the record company happy; not the other way round. If you want to showcase your latest material then play the O2 or Wembley Arena. They both need to strip away some of the crap and get back to what they do best.

By contrast, Iggy and the Stooges and the Cult were both absolutely magnificent. Iggy had Raw Power opening the show and a very anarchic trot through they greatest songs with I wanna be your dog and Seek and Destroy being particularly memorable.

The Cult - one of the great unrecognised guitar players has got to be Billy Duffy - the way he stands, holds the guitar and how he develops riffs are just fucking incredible. Every young wannabe rock star should have a good look at this guy as he is a lesson in how it should be done. Fire Woman was a case in point - where is builds from a slow groove to a crashing riff with Billy looking the coolest dude in the world. A greatest hits setlist with Astbury in fine voice if taking the "I look like Jim Morrison" thing a tad too far.

Slayer - I just love this band and it was a terrible shame they only got 45 minutes but they put in a good strong show. War Ensemble is always a winner and World Painted Blood is really growing on me the more I hear it.

Skindred - a great live band who seemed a bit hungover - good but not the best show I have seen them do.

Pendulum - dance rock crossover is always difficult to pull off but this lot were great. I didn't think I knew anything by them but was surprised by how much stuff I recognised. Like this, like it a lot.

All in all great fun weekend

KILBURNFLYER

Slayer again at Hammersmith. Pretty much the same set as the previous night but in a different order so the whole thing sounded completely fresh. As a band they are as tight as a frogs arse but still no room for expendable youth which is a shame. South of Heaven was executed even better than the night before which when I went into the venue I didn't think was possible. Trivium again left me unmoved - I am always surprised by bands who play two shows at the same venue and seem to assume that they can use exactly the same between song "banter"and it won't sound completely crap to people who went to both nights. It can only be considered wit if it is spontaneous which it clearly wasn't.

KILBURNFLYER

I was always a bit of a snob when it came to Slayer - they weren't as good as Metallica or Megadeth in my book and they seemed to be a perpetual support band back in the day. But Slayer were a grower and the more I saw them the more I liked them. I think their Donnington show supporting Maiden in I think 92 was the turning point. Last nights show at Hammersmith was a really good example of what a good gig should be like. Good sound, plenty of volume (probably too much for supprot Trivium who I just don't seem to be able to get to like very much - they might grow but it has been a while and I remain unmoved) and a good solid setlist with minimal pauses between songs. They didn't play for too long - 80 mins max but they crammed a lot into the show. Angel of Death, South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Chemical Warfare, Dead Skin Mask were all in there from what I can recall with my ears still rining. Back for more tonight and I hope they will find room for expendable youth which is probably my favourite track. WE HAD JOY WE HAD FUN WE HAD SEASONS IN THE ABYSS - DID MAKE ME SMILE