Live Review

Sonisphere: Day Two – Sonisphere, Knebworth

• 13th Jul 2011

I awoke on Saturday morning with my ears still ringing from The Big 4 on the previous day. I was positive that if I didn’t have tinnitus before, I did now. I wondered if any of the acts for the Saturday line-up could achieve the same heights of the previous day. It certainly wasn’t as impressive on paper as the previous day. I concluded the best way to measure the day would be from the amount of pain I was suffering the next morning. I think in some ways finishing on Metallica the night before made my day that much harder.

I was proud to say that our team’s collective tent erecting skills had allowed our tents to survive a second night of Sonisphere, without any leakage or being blown away and becoming a mysterious UFO sighting in Knebworth. I was very glad no one decided to fall into my tent uninvited either. At this point I was very economically thankful that we had brought our portable BBQ’s and that our own supply of food had remained perfectly chilled. It allowed all of us to re-fuel for what was inevitably going to be a heavy day. Today was also the first day of the festival where both stages were in operation. In some respects the smaller Saturn was the better venue. The lay of the ground around the stage offered a much better viewing experience.

After a morning coffee I was finally ready to take on day two with all my might. My armour (“Big 4” t-shirt purchased the day before, black of course) was adorned and I found myself charging over to the main stage. Well it was more of a stiff walk but let’s not split hairs. First up on the Apollo stage were Sylosis who delivered a heavily Pantera sounding set that made sure everyone there was indeed awake. I thought they were technically good and musically sound. However, you could argue they were a bit too one dimensional. Though it was a good follow-on considering the last band to play the same stage were Metallica. The next band on the Saturn stage puzzled me greatly. Richard Cheese followed with what one could say was the most out of place and random set ever to play at a heavy metal festival. I never would have imagined hearing a lounge/swing/Jazz style cover band at a heavy metal festival! They played covers such of ACDC, Black Eyed Peas and more. Richard Cheese told a few dry jokes and interacted well with the audience. Good for a few giggles and giving the ears a some well earned respite.

I skipped the end of Richard Cheese to check out some of the smaller stages. I managed to check out a band called No Americana, who ironically sounded very American. They sounded ok but seemed to lack anything special. I had to remember that the smaller stages were not the main event and if I had seen the band in a pub I would have been impressed. Next I strolled over to the Redbull stage to see a band called You and What Army. They pretty much sounded like a poor man’s Limp Biskit or Linkin Park. Plus I kept thinking their lead singer really need a haircut. With that hair and voice I’m sure Disney could give him a role in their next Rapunzel film.

Next up were Architects who really didn’t impress me live. Lots of energy and running around on stage, but they didn’t project any stage presence. However, listening to them after getting back from the festival I would be keen to give them a second chance. Back over at the Saturn stage I was quite impressed by Gallows. In my opinion an excellent live band who really know how to play to a crowd. They also may have created the largest circle pit know to metal, going all the way from the stage and around the sound booth. Well it was more of and oval and I’m still undecided if I should be amused or impressed, perhaps both.

Back to the main Apollo stage to get back on track with some hard metal again. The bands to deliver this were Cavalera Conspiracy. Max Cavalera, appearing with the same dreadlocks he has kept over the years, delivered an almost incomprehensible gravelled sound backed up by heavy guitars and hard hitting drum rolls. Halfway through the performance he called his oldest son to sing along side him. This was then backed up by his other son and nephew on guitar and drums. They played so well i couldn’t tell the difference between them and the normal band members. If anyone had forgotten they were at a metal festival they were certainly reminded. They even included some classic Sepultura songs which were definite crowd pleasers.

I made the decision to skip Kids in Glass Houses purely on the name. So they may or may not have been fantastic. I thought it best to take this opportunity to take a shower and avoid some of the queues. Mentioning showers the next several hours were hampered by rain showers and even a torrential downpour, which turned the arena into a bit of a mud field. I was lucky enough to be under cover whilst it rained though decidedly unlucky to have chosen to wear low-cut Converse for the day. Later in the day I witnessed a few slips in the mud, one of which involved a dude performing what I call the inner spirit level fall. You know the type of fall where one falls down whilst keeping the top of one’s beverage parallel to the ground.

I arrived back at the main stage refreshed and ready to catch the end of Bad Religion. From what I could see the crowd were responding well. Darting back to the Saturn stage again to catch Sum 41 I thought they had a good crowd interaction and a good sound. They even called up five eager festival goers onto the stage to watch the show. I did feel sorry for one of the fans on stage as he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Obviously he was overwhelmed by the sudden realisation he was being watched by thousands.

Weezer were up next on the main stage, a nice trip down memory lane. Over all a real crowd pleaser which was probably helped by the sun resurfacing and the amount of vodka I had consumed. However, one of my counterparts had heard enough when they started playing Teenage Dirtbag. In saying that though, he also liked The Mars Volta in which I thought the lead singer sounded more like a moaning sob who needs to grow a pair and harden up. This was the reason I headed over to the smaller Redbull stage again to see Rise to Remain who sounded good. They may have sounded better than just good but I couldn’t actually get inside the tent. The band’s calibre obviously required a larger stage which was a bit of a disappointment.

The final act of the day was Biffy Clyro. However, they really didn’t keep me entertained enough and by then I could hear the bar calling my name. I asked my fellow festival companions what they thought of Biffy Clyro and the general consensus wasn’t great. If anything this had to be the statement that the Saturday was musically the lighter day of the three.

By the end of what was now a messy day for more reasons than one, I found myself wandering the areas of the festival and sending random texts and facebook updates like “Hugh Jackman”? The day had taken its toll on me and on other festival goers. The late night hunt for food was helped by the choice of food outlets still open. For those who still had energy to burn the Bohemia tent offered a late night DJ set until 3am. This almost inspired me to bring out the moves but by then there was nothing left in the tank.

To conclude, the Saturday was a memorable and at times not so memorable day for different reasons. Overall the Saturday had less of a heavy metal feel but didn’t compromise on the entertainment. I would definitely go again and advise others to add Sonisphere to their festival calendars.

Dwayne Cassidy