aaamusic | On 10, Jun 2012

Hatfield, 25th May

Hildamay (Vans off the Wall Stage) Hildamay are one of the early bands on the bill, they mix pop punk with hardcore and the Sk8r NOFX sound. Skidding through all their songs like a train wreck on a acid trip. The majority of the room is empty and they do try to get it going to no prevail. They seem to content with what they are doing that you could see on any punk, hardcore bill early on.

I see Stars (Honour and Glory Stage) I didn’t really know what to expect from I see Stars and I thought it would be an amazing blend of clean vocals and turmoil noise with glitz and glamour but it is nothing but the same old Metalcore sound, with the Traditional breakdowns and emo camp-ness of lady friendly bands in this genre. They do look cool and there is a slick way they perform so I can see why they appeal to a lot of people but I am a bit disappointed that they can’t get the balance of their sound right.

Reachback (Bedroom Jam Stage) seem to have a mainly male audience tonight, that might be because the singer has a very tight latex skirt on and red hair so I can see some people would like to watch this. They do have a Paramore sound like most female bands seem to have these days but they mix it with a nice pop punk blend. They are really good to watch and really have something that will appeal to the mass market if they were used right. All the band seem to have personalities which makes the band work really well and the chemistry is electric. There is some magic with this band that make them mesmerizing to watch and they seem lovely.
Golden Tanks (Bedroom Jam Stage) run over you like a tank and are hard hit in sound like bands such as Everytime I Die but are not quite as strong and mix it with a hardcore meets punk and a quieter sound. They sludge through a set of songs that tease and tempt you that they might go somewhere interesting and don’t really deliver the tease.

Lower than Atlantis (Jaigermeister Main Stage) are a hot act at the moment and seem to be chasing Biffy Clyro in the category of biggest UK indie rock act. They have gone a long way from what they used to be and start of with a edgy but clean cut way. The first time I saw the band they were spitting at each other wearing Sting and the Police T-Shirts but now they seem to have mellowed out and that is shown with their Foo Fighters medley. They can be very technical but they know how to write good pop rock songs and are probably one of this year’s best breakthrough acts. They have a few really great songs like ‘Far Q and Deadliest Catch’ and I think their next album will be their moment of glory.

Lower than Atlantis – Setlist
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(Motor) Way of Life
Beech like the Tree
If the world was to End
High at Five
Marilyn’s Mansion
Far Q
Foo Fighters Medley
Deadliest Catch

Acoda (Bedroom Jam Stage) are hotly tipped but they don’t really produce a set that you can remember a few hours later. They don’t play with any confidence and don’t seem too bled as a unit. I don’t know if this is due to lack of practice or something else but it doesn’t lead to you wanting more.

Word Alive (Honour and Glory Stage) deliver a pretty heavy and precise set of dynamic precision brutalness. They hit down loads of beat takedown Metalcore riffs with screaming vocals and in your face stage presence. They have a lot of the Deathcore / Metalcore clinches and you have seen this all before but they are really good and the vocals do stand out.

It Boys! (Bedroom Jam Stage) are surprisingly amazing today, their brand of Pop meets Emo with a touch of Dub-Step is just really enjoyable. They are tacky and funny and the songs are actually really good and well written and can recommend them highly. They end with the great new you tube anthem ‘Guy’s don’t like me’ and I can understand why, guys don’t like pretty boys but girls do and there is a lot of them in the audience digging what they see.

Of mice & Men (Honour and Glory Stage) can’t really create the amazing set that they produced at Hit the Deck festival and seem to have a few problems with their sound coming across with clarity in this large dark room. Hit beat downs like no boys business this band are a heavy monster of pure adrenaline and dark riffs that echo into your imagination like the dark crystal. Austin is now a bit of a cult hero and has changed quite a bit from his Attack Attack! days but he still is a great frontman and good to watch.

While she Sleeps (Honour and Glory Stage) are now fan favourites and a lot of people want to see them you can tell this by the packed room in this sold out festival that is getting bigger and bigger. The band has in last few years gone up several leagues and are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the metal scene. They have a really good following of loyal supporters that follow them wherever they go so always makes for a good show.

While she Sleeps – Setlist
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Intro
Dead behind the Eyes
North stands for Nothing
Be(lie)ve
Hearts aside our Horses
This is the Six
Trophies
Crows

Cancer Bats (Honour and Glory Stage) opening with their tribute to Adam from the Beastie Boys they open with their now infamous cover version of ‘Sabotage’ which hits off the circle pits. Liam is joined on vocals by Wade from Gallows on one song because the two of them have been friends for a long time and it’s a great site to see. This isn’t one of the best sets for the Cancer Bats they seem a little tired but for a band that never seems to stop, we can understand why but it is still a set that most bands would be happy with but by Cancer Bats high standards it’s just one that was really enjoyable. Cancer Bats are probably the world’s hardest working band.

Cancer Bats – Setlist
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Sabotage
Trust no One
Pray for Dakness
Bricks and Mortar
Lucifer’s rocking Chair
Road Sick
Sorceress
Drunken Physics
Pneumonia Hawk
Deathsmarch
Hail Destroyer
R.A.T.S.

Blackout (Jaigermeister Main Stage) really impress today and show they are in a different league. Sean Smith today has purple hair and is joking about hating one side of the audience and loving the other as he prances around with his pink microphone; he is like he is wearing the emperor’s new clothes. Gareth is the sensible one and tries to tame Sean and this just leads to fun and frolics in the sun and a really memorable set. There is swinging microphones the start of a mini riot and the charisma is amazing. Wales have produced some great bands but not one with this amount of onstage presence before they are a hot British act and they always have smiling face and a good attitude and look great in the sun.

Blackout – Setlist
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I’m a Riot? You’re a fucking Riot!
Ambition is Critical
Children of the Night
It’s high tide Baby!
Never by your Side
Devil Inside
Storm
This is why we can’t have nice Things
Shut the f**k Uppercut
Save our Selves (The Warning)
Higher and Higher

Taking back Sunday (Jaigermeister Main Stage) I never have witnessed the self destruction of a band like this ever onstage but tonight that is what I witnessed. Adam Lazzara comes on staggering like a hobo and stinks of alcohol more than someone that has been on the streets for years. He smashes a photographer in the face when he does his signature microphone swing. The microphone hits her and you can see the blood pouring down her face and he doesn’t even have the decency to say sorry. He is murmurs through all the songs and you can hardly hear him with the audience singing most of the songs. If I had been one of the girls that have waited all day on the barrier for them I would be really disappointed, and if I was the promoter he would be paying for this pathetic stage performance. They at least play ‘Decade under the Influence’ which is one of my favourite songs but you can hardly hear it and only can tell what it is by the guitar part.

Taking back Sunday – Setlist
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What’s it feel like to be a ghost?
A decade under the influence?
You know how I do
El Paso
Faith (When I let you Down)
Error: Operator
One-Eighty by Summer
Liar (It takes one to know One)
Existentialism on prom Night
Spin
You’re so last Summer
This is all Now
Timberwolves at New Jersey
You got Me
There’s no ‘I’ in Team
Cute without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)
Make damn Sure

Gallows (Vans off the Wall Stage) a lot of people haven’t been happy that Wade (X-Alexisonfire) is the singer now in Gallows, after Frank Carter’s departure to form Pure Love. So Wade was out to really impress tonight, putting on the performance for his life. Songs like ‘London is the Reason’ really suits the new recruits singing style and are as brutal as they always have been. They push each other aside and anyone that gets in their way in a violent motion. They are joined on stage by Liam from the Cancer Bats for one song like Wade had done earlier in their set. The set does seem to faultier a little near the end with ‘Orchestra of Wolves’ the final song being a bit of a let down with Wade not hitting all the notes, which is a shame because this is a very important song for the band, but for a band that have just parted with a major part of their line-up they really impress me and the still have a good amount of the original aggression that they have had before and I think within time it will make them developed into a stronger band. I love the new version of ‘London is the Reason’ which is my highlight of their set but there could be so many because it is a memorable set.

Gallows – Setlist
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Misery
London is the Reason
Leeches
True Colours
Death Voices
Abandon Ship
In the belly of a Shark
Mondo Chaos
I dread the Night
Seeing Red
Orchestra of Wolves