SONISPHERE FESTIVAL 2011 Review
Saturday: Biffy Clyro In comparison to the night before, Saturday's line-up was something of a commercial venture - but unlike those accusing sorts, I won't say the line-up suffered as a result. Far from it in fact, as it was great to see radio-friendly acts like Sum 41, YouMeAtSix, All Time Low, Weezer and the mighty Biffy Clyro enjoying the opportunity to show their stuff alongside heavier, more fan-driven acts. Sadly, not everyone felt the same way, and the arena felt a damn-sight quieter than the night before, and there's only so much of that you can blame on the rain. Which is a huge shame, as it meant comparatively few people were present for the hilarious re-arrangements of Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine, who surprised and delighted in equal measure in their early slot. The pick of the early day's more poppy bunch were Sum 41, who we caught the final few songs of (and in all honesty that's the only ones I'd have wanted to see anyway), thanks to missing out on seeing Steve-O's debut set in the Bohemia tent, as originally intended, who captured a massive crowd and did manfully well to entertain every last one of them. Aside from them Weezer stuck out a mile, reeling out their classics (old and new), as well as offering two outstanding covers in the shape of Wheatus' "Teenage Dirtbag" and a flawless version of Radio Head's excellent "Paranoid Android". They would perhaps have been better suited to a Leeds/Reading near-top-bill slot, but the crowd were obviously game and the set went down a storm. Not everyone did so well - I have to say I'm a sometime fan of YouMeAtSix: I find their particular brand of British poppy "punk" to be quietly entertaining - but this is the second time I've seen them play a festival that perhaps didn't suit their more tender sensibilities and the second time I've watched front man Josh Franceschi foolishly try and whip up the crowd into some mosh-filled maelstrom. Which would be a lot easier if he wasn't fronting YouMeAtSix and facing a growling mass of metallers who think he's a petulant clown. At one point I thought he was going to stamp his foot and swan off stage because he wasn't getting his own way, but at the end of the day a front-man should know his audience, and his place. And sometimes they should just shut the fuck up and accept that they aren't a world-beating heavy metal band. Between the radio-friendly stuff, and in the oddest of all the line-up decisions were Cavalera Conspiracy, given a mere thirty five minute set that defied their status and their subsequent performance, and Gallows, playing their last gig with erstwhile flame-haired frontman Frank Carter who's now left for pastures new. Both formed heavy punctuations to the rest of play, and both brought generous responses from the crowd, particularly Gallows, whose circle-pit baiting almost threatened to engulf the entire (impressively massive) audience. And while Carter's announcement, and his odd decision to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of his new band Pure Love (fucking awful name that) could have derailed the whole affair, the band responded defiantly, playing one of the best gigs of their careers. Saturday was about one band and one band only for me - Biffy Clyro - the reason I bought my ticket. This was the seventh time I've seen the Kilmarnock boys live, and the seventh time I've been blown away by their live show and generally huge talent. They might not quite subscribe to the opinion (Simon was particularly humble in his thanks for being accepted at a metal festival) but the band pack an unbelievably heavy punch that is far more visible in earlier material, but still adds a steel-toed kick to even their most radio-friendly newer material.
