  
First on stage tonight are Sandhurst band Primitai. Recently named as one of the bands to watch for 2011 by Classic Rock magazine, this young thrash/metal band take to the stage in front of a half filled venue - the rest of the audience and all the press/photographers are still queueing outside. Once inside it was a quick dash to get photos taken before the end of the bands first song (sadly half the photographers tonight were unable to photograph the band as the door staff's decision to make them queue with everyone else meant they didnt enter the venue till after the third song, so were refused access to the photo pit.
Once the photos were out of the way I was able to relax and enjoy watching the band. The stage was incredibly cramped as they'd had to set up their gear in front of Firewinds gear, so there was no room for them to move on the stage, and two members were half hidden by the PA system and played in virtual darkness. During "Sin city" the singer decided to move to where there was a bit more space and spent part of the set in the pit getting up close with the fans. Although they got a fairly positive reaction from the crowd, it was fairly muted and the crowd didnt seem to know their stuff at all, so trying to get crowd interaction going was a mistake - they'd have been better off concentrating on just playing a great set and making new fans that way. Overall a good set from Primitai - a band well worth checking out.
Next up were the advertised support band for tonight - Breed 77. The stage was still cramped for them, but they seemed to have managed to find a bit more space, so singer Paul Isola was able to move around a bit more freely than Primitai's vocalist. Despite the extra space he still chose to spend some time in the pit near the fans. Originally from Gibraltar but now based in London, Breed 77 are clearly a popular choice of support tonight judging by the crowd reaction. The bands heavy but melodic music produced plenty of cheering from the crowd, but when they played a cover version of "Zombie" (The Cranberries did the original), the entire crowd went absolutely crazy and almost everyone was singing along.
At one stage in the show, Paul changed his plain top for a football shirt - a Huddersfield Town shirt to be precise, but the reason for his obscure choice was clear. Tonights set is made up almost entirely of songs from their latest album, Insects (2009). A great set from Breed 77, and I certainly look forwards to seeing them play live again in the future.
Tonights headliners are Firewind. Recently they've become best know for the fact that their guitarist, Gus G is playing for Ozzy Osbourne, while still remaining as part of Firewind. Tonight Firewind do a great job of showing that they are more than just a band with a great guitarist, but are actually a great band in their own right. Tonights setlist is split evenly between new material from the "Days of Defiance" album, and older material. the venue is packed out and feels like being in a furnace due to the heat and smoke, but the fans dont let details like that stop them from enjoying some great power metal. Tonights set includes a superb guitar solo from Gus G proving that Ozzy made an excellent choice, as well as a drum solo and a short keyboard solo. The biggest disappointment for most Firewind fans is the lack of any further UK tour dates - sadly the London show is currently their only UK show of the year. Hopefully more UK dates will come later in the year, but this obviously depends on the touring plans of Ozzy - the downside to having a member in two bands at the same time. Overall a fantastic show from Firewind with two good choices of support band, giving everyone present a great night of music.
Firewind Setlist:
Ark of lies
Head up high
Destination forever
Keyboard solo/Angels forever
World on fire
Guitar solo
Fire & fury
drum solo/Insanity
Heading for the dawn
Chariot
My loneliness
Mercenary man
Till the end of time
Maniac
Tyranny
Encore:
Into the fire
I am the anger
Falling to pieces
Breed 77 setlist:
Wake up
Blind
New disease
The battle of Hatin
Revolution on my mind
Forever
La ultima hora
Zombie (Cranberries cover)
Insects
Primitai setlist:
The craft
Line of fire
Sin city
Nocturnal hordes
Rockin' in hell |
