The day after the Streets, my week of live music continued with a trip to Manchester for the Give It A Name festival at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This was the second day of the second year: last year's was help at the Alexandra Palace in London, and was a logistical disaster. This year was split over two days and two venues: Earls Court Arena in London and the M.E.N. site, with the line-up playing one day in each.
Obviously, my shredded throat had not healed within 12 hours, so the entire occasion was once more underscored by pain and discomfort. But I couldn't sleep anyway, so getting up at 7 and driving a few hundred miles for a gig was as good an idea as anything. Anyway, in order, here is what I remember of the bands:
2nd Stage - Taint - As good as any medium-hard metal lineup from South Wales I have heard. Which, obviously, comprises a set of one: Taint. They were fun, and more accomplished in both musical and performing terms than many of the acts that came afterwards. A 25 minute set on a small stage let them appear too big for their space, which was far better than having trouble filling their slot. Glad I heard them, and I expect to see them on MTV2 or Kerrang! in time.
2nd Stage - The Honorary Title - A band from the same north-eastern US scene that the bigger bands represent, and they seemed a bit dragged-along in their wake. The music wasn't quite right for the setting nor the context. Odd vocals. Meh.
Main Stage - The Bled - I was going through a painful episode at this point, but The Bled opened up well and I really rather enjoyed their set. Not unusual stuff in any way, but throroughly competent with a real touch of Iron Maiden that didn't go wrong with this crowd. I might have sung along in bits if the effort wouldn't have made me faint.
2nd Stage - Paramore - This lot were musically ok, but really annoying with constant references to the upcoming big hitters. The second stage crowd in general were guilty of this, but Paramore really kicked it off big-time, using their biggest rawk accents. "So you guys are gonna hear some f*&king amazing stuff.. what about My Chemical Romance, huh?". Again and again, just because it got a high-pitched cheer each time. Paramore were only the second worst for this "we are the omegas" behaviour.
Main Stage - Underoath - Not quite as good as The Bled, but still driving metal that more than filled a thirty minute set.
2nd Stage - Drive By - My favourite of the second stage shows. By now, however, I had discovered the palliative powers of pints of Tetley Extra Cold when applied directly to the inside of a sore throat, so my critical faculties were probably fading a little.
Main Stage - Panic At The Disco! - The booking for this festival was done just at the time PATD! released their album, and putting them fifth from top of the main stage was a substantial underestimate of their popularity. The auditorium would not be this full again before headliners My Chemical Romance, and the audience was bouncing with excitement. A lot of those present (including myself) were apparently here mainly to see this set, and if the booking were done for next year they would clearly be one of the two headliners. Anyhow, their stuff went down a lot better than I had thought it might: it's rather art-metalish in places with a lot of experimentation that I thought might not come across well to a largely teenaged audience. Not so. One of the few four-pieces in the show, but one of the biggest sounds.
2nd Stage - Men Women & Children - I don't know why they hired a tribute act for this festival. This was clearly massively influenced by Morris Day and the Time. Jay and Silent Bob may think that MD & the T are the biggest band in the world, but I don't, and neither did this crowd. Lots of cookie dances and audience participation. They've been supporting PATD! recently on tour in the UK, and they reminded me why I tend to skip support acts.
Main Stage - Thrice - This was the surprise hit of my evening. Thrice were excellent, and I fully intend to pick up some of their stuff. I'd heard - and liked - a couple of singles of theirs, but I preferred their album tracks that they played. Just a hint of the slightly trippy edge to metal that the Deftones or Tool provide. Cracking.
2nd Stage - Billy Talent - I think these were a relatively local band, maybe from Liverpool? In any case, they were mince. Terrible. Intensely boring, and trying to make up for it by being louder than everyone else. Also, the Tetley Extra Cold was finished so I had to drink Carlsberg. A low point, at times little more than a dreary successions of "shout-outs" to the rest of the bill delivered in a fake New York accent.
Main Stage - Atreyu - Ha ha very funny. More coordinated dance moves and guitar cliches on stage, including a cheerleader-esque pyramid of guitarists. Did they have, like, 7 or 8 members? They used to wear identical suits and stuff, but want to protray themselves as serious now. Seriously shown up by bands like Thrice or Taint. Not that the younger portion of the crowd cared: competent, disposable party-pop rock. I imagine that they did exactly what the organisers hoped they would: fill forty minutes and get the crowd bouncing again.
Main Stage - The Ataris - Good fun. You know what you're getting with the Ataris. I get the feeling that they're kinda destined to bounce along beneath the glass ceiling, doomed never to break through into mainstream chart success, but amongst younger metal fans they're jusifiably popular. I don't own any of their albums, nor did this persuade me in the way that Thrice did, but I was looking forward to their forty minutes, and I wasn't dissappointed.
Main Stage - My Chemical Romance - There is only a year or so of success separating MCR from the Ataris or Thrice, but it shows. There's nothing like knowing that the auditorium is full of people there to see you to lend you an air of confident professionalism. MCR worked the crowd, belted out a taut 50-minute set that went through their last album with relatively few deviations (no Headfirst for Halos being the resident MCR fan's complaint), and left the place impressed. I think i'd prefer to see them in a less constrained format, and when I hadn't listened to other bands for 8 hours, but good stuff nonetheless, and a huge hit with their legions of extremely homogenous, white, 16-year-old, skinny girls.
The contrast with last year's disaster was notable: manageable queues, sensible temperatures and copious soft drinks. The venue was busy but coped. The tactic of selling the tickets at an unbelievably cheap thirty-five pounds for nine hours of music seemed jusitified when one saw the turnover in the merchandise and concessions stands. A great way of picking up a few new tastes in bands.