Bullet For My Valentine, Hawthorne Heights, Still Remains, Aiden


Manchester Academy: Saturday January 21st.

So here we are in 2006 and it’s been 25 years since Geoff Barton had a brainstorm while working for music weekly Sounds to do a one off ‘Metal’ special. He needed a name and he looked to the description of the sound that the guitar AC/DC’s Angus Young got from his guitar; Angus was to be the cover star of this one-off issue. The sound that the guitar made was described as Kerrang!, the rest, depending on your viewpoint, is either history or downhill.

It’s fair to say that buRn magazine lasting twenty five minutes is an achievement, but twenty five years is a very long time. K! has gone from monthly to weekly, but also from selling over 300,000 copies a month to 70,000 a week - still a good amount to dedicated ‘Metal’ fans. K! has changed, it had to. Opinion divides whether it’s for better or worse, but I think we are big and brave enough to say , ‘Well Done’ to the big K!, and Mr Barton is still a highly regarded in these parts - we would love to have a drink with him one day!

So you may have guessed that this is the K!-25 Tour, and this is a strong line-up to celebrate the fact. Openers Aiden are a surprise to me; they are 21st century Punk Rock. Just as The Damned kicked started the whole movement in 76’, Aiden come on just like that but with hints of Misfits, and the band they will be mostly compared to (and most likely to follow), My Chemical Romance. Singer Will wears his heart on his sleeve, calls the fans ‘Brothers’ and gives a rallying call to a movement that has been built on downloading from the street. The band are greeted like headliners with the crowd chanting their name, they have the look, they have the songs (the debut album rocks), and they can deliver live. Keep one eye on Aiden, ‘potential’ is the word!

Next up was Still Remains, with a crunching debut album out last year on Roadrunner. This act has been bubbling for quite some time, often it’s a tag that drags a band down, but speaking to them pre-show it seems they are just along for the ride, doing the best they can, when they can. The response from the crowd is muted, I put this band in a slightly older bracket than the majority of kids here tonight; they seem more at home with Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God than the more ‘Emo’ friendly audience tonight seemed to crave. Once again they deliver a tight structured set, but lack of real connection with the crowd seems to leave them stuttering in fourth gear. They are good, but I would like to see them alone or on a tour more suited, but most importantly they delivered a set, to make you ‘come again’!

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We reach the half-way point, and so far so good. Now on paper the next act seemed ‘out Of place’ but again judging on crowd reaction, they were right at home. Hawthorne Heights really do evoke the word ‘Emo’ and their brand of Rock is radio friendly (well, almost!). With songs as strong as Niki FM they are on a roll with potential to spare. They played songs from their stunning debut album alongside a couple of new tracks from this year’s follow-up. You can’t help but be sucked in by the melody, like Jimmy Eat World, these chaps have such a melodic bent, that their songs become firmly head-lodged! - like the clap, once got, hard to shift. They need to do some work on stage presence, often seeming apologetic for being where they were; saying ‘thank you’ a little too often for my liking. The guys Rock, have great tunes that stay the distance, and are right at home on stage. Expect great things ahead from this band!

Now the buzz around headliners Bullet for my Valentine is nothing short of amazing. They are touted as ‘Metal Titans’ in waiting, alongside Trivium, B4MV seem to have raced up the inside lane to stake a claim. Their debut E.P. was met with good reward, but it was due to last year’s debut album THE POISON that the band grabbed the tag of ‘Next Big Thing’. I get the impression that many people either ‘Love’ or ‘Hate’ the band, but again the sheer quality of work on offer tonight shows exactly why they have earned their plaudits; they are tight, they have worked on this, the homework has paid off. Like Metallica before them, Bullet are building a house that can stand the test of time.

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The reaction from the crowd is nothing short of adoration, and while I’m not sure this will do the band any favours, time will tell if they feel they have made it and go into a comfort zone, or if fans spurn them on that road to greater heights. I believe the latter will be true. The set has no let-up in pace; punch after punch knocks you on your arse, and as you get up another comes along. They have just enough diversity in pace to keep you interested, and how!

The next record is the most important one the band will make; they have watched Lost Prophets step up a level to stand on a world stage, can Bullet do the same? Yes, but only if they really want to, expect some stunning festival sets from these chaps this year. Then expect the album of a lifetime; one Bullet fired, five to go; this gun is just about to smoke!

Overall this was a fantastic night out, no matter if you are 14 or 40, there was something here for you. Call it what you will, but ‘Metal’ or ‘Rock’ is as good if not better than it has been at any point in the last 40 years. So long live Rock, and lets hope that in the next 40 we can say the same. On the evidence of previous years, it’s not in doubt!

Jj Haggar: 2006.