  
Tonight was to be Jettblack's album launch party, held less than a week before the album goes on sale. The gig sold out very quickly, such was the level of expectation. However this wasnt just going to be Jettblack playing a few songs, this was a full gig with four bands playing.
First up were Night by Night, who came on stage just 15 minutes after the doors opened. Normally doors open at 7, but tonight it was 6.30 to give extra time so all the bands could play a decent length set which was nice - there's nothing worse than finding a great support band and seeing them limited to a 20 minute set. The downside of an early start is that a lot of people don't check the times and assume the first band won't be on till 7.30 or 8pm so miss the first bands.
Despite the very early start there was a reasonable sized crowd there already which was surprising cosidering it was a weeknight. I'd heard good reports about Night by Night but this was my first chance to see and hear them for myself, and I have to say I wasnt disappointed. They put in a great performance and their hard rock sound seemed to go down well with the audience. Definitely a band worth checking out if you get the chance.
Next up was Finnish band Barbe-Q-Barbies. An all female band, this five piece certainly knew how to rock and certainly impressed. Their twin-guitar powered rock was good and heavy and they certainly impressed me. They got a great reception from the crowd too whic by now had filled up making the venue very busy. Their album is due out later this month so I'll be ordering a copy based on tonights performance.
Next up we got the final support band - Meansteed. They had a sound that reminded me of bands such as ACDC, Rose tattoo or Airbourne and were very good. The singer/lead guitarist was a great frontman and really knew how to work the crowd which meant that they got a tremendous reception. At one point he climbed onto someones shoulders and was carried through the packed venue as he carried on playing, being deposited on the bar where he remained to play the last half of the song. Musically they were great, but for me it was the skill of their frontman in working the crowd that made them the best of the night so far.
Tonight though, the band everyone was here to see was Jettblack. Long before they came on stage the place was packed solid. I'd grabbed a spot to the side of the stage to get some photos, but there was no chance of moving around as the venue was so full, with people packing the stairs too.
With tonight's setlist consisting of songs from the new album that people hadnt been able to hear, then things could have gone badly - I've seen crowds fail to react particularly when hearing new material they've not heard before, but tonight's crowd weren't like that and were going crazy for the new songs as well as the old ones. Plenty of headbanging, cheering, arms in the air etc showed the crowd were really having a great time. Once I finished taking photos I headed to the back of the venue to get a drink and find room to breathe - the place was so packed though that it took a good five minutes to slowly inch my way through the crowd. Jettblack were certainly on form and their energy and enthusiasm was matched by the crowd and things never really slowed during the set - this was full on high energy stuff.
The encore was introduced by Lord Zolton from the band's "Raining rock" video (if you haven't seen it then I certainly recommend watching it - a great video for a great song), and the band then came back on to play the single, Raining Rock. We then got a couple more songs before the band ended the night with their excellent cover of the Kenny Loggins hit, "Dangerzone" (from the Top Gun movie soundtrack). This was a fantastic night of music - three great support bands all put in excellent performances, but they were all blown off the stage by Jettblack tonight.
Jettblack setlist:
Less Talk More Thrust
Inbetween Lovers
Get Your Hands Dirty
Prison Of Love
Sunshine
Not Even Love
Instrumental
The Sweet And The Brave
Feel The Love
Two Hot Girls
Encore:
Raining Rock
Slip It On
Sleep
Dangerzone
Night by Night setlist:
Holding on
A thousand lies
It's not faith
The moment
Siren
Time to escape
Can't walk away
Never die again
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