Live Review

Taste of Chaos – Apollo, Manchester

• 11th Dec 2007

The first three bands on the Taste of Chaos tour made very little impact. Smudge were unsatisfactory, Gallows seemed to have no idea how to entertain a crowd this big and the Blackout struggled with convincing the crowd they were any good.

When Aiden came on, however, it was another story entirely. There was no need for the large amount of gratuitous swearing (or maybe I’m just getting old), and sometimes their frontman was slightly incomprehensible, but they were exceptionally good at whipping the slightly hormonal crowd into an absolutely frenzy. People of all ages were screaming lyrics and singing along, and the enthusiasm of the band was routed through to the audience with ease. It did all sound a bit samey after a while, but Aiden do what they do – catchy pop-punk for the masses – very well.

Rise Against were very sure of themselves. Banter – in contrast to the band before – was cut down to the very minimum, and they almost expect it of the crowd that their songs will be known. The audience does not disappoint, singing along to every line of the first song without pause. Every song is packed to the brim with powerful guitars and strong bass lines, melodies reach crescendo after crescendo, and the incredibly powerful voice of their frontman fits perfectly into the large space of the Apollo. This is the first band on tonight that fill the stage.

Final band, headliners The Used are spectacular. The crowd are so hyped up and ready minutes before they even come on stage that when they do the noise, the stamping feet and the screams elate everybody in the room, from the front row to the back lines by the bar. The vocals are so intense that it almost feels like you’ve been hit by something heavy – like you’ve been winded. Drumming is fantastic. The band fills the stage completely, song after song has the entire Apollo going insane. McCracken has this entire crowd wrapped round his finger – they bow to his every command. During Liar, Liar he gets the majority of the crowd to sing along while at the same time berating them for not being strong enough. This song – three or four into the set – seems to push the crowd over the edge into absolute hysteria. Following it with a medley of their older tracks – such as The Taste of Ink, keeps the audience on this incredible high, and unlike some o the earlier bands tonight The Used keep up this standard until they finish an hour later.

A spectacular set shows the UK why The Used are so big right now – after this live show it’s easy to see why.

images by Gareth [mail]