Yay for Billy Talent rescheduling! Wow. Equally good, if not better than, Does It Offend You, Yeah?

So Canterbury start the show. My band to listen to this week. These guys appeal to the more indie inclined fans out there, quite different to the other two bands of the night: Cancer Bats and of course Billy Talent. Being the first band nothing really gets going for them (except for the guy dancing in the cow costume…) but they still have a lot of energy. The fairly unsurprising drums and guitars are kept interesting, they are laced with the synthetics of a keyboard. I must say I prefer their studio work to their live performance, but that may be due to the guitarist blinding me with his shiny guitar and being distracted by my friends shouting to Cancer Bats who are on the balcony above us. Still, worth checking out. Look for “Lost In The Basement.”

Next to take the stage, the mighty Cancer Bats. A relentless band, their first song is “Hail Destroyer”. It lives up to its name. As soon as the drums are combined to the riff bodies are colliding within the crowd. The aggressive vocals and aggressive pits leave both voice and body spent, and this is only one song into the set. Thankfully water is free at the bar. Good times. The set is then just more of the same. Pits, followed by sore throats, followed by trips to the bar for water. Finally we end on “Lucifer’s Rocking Chair,” a brutal and bludgeoning song which is the perfect end to the set. Amazing that they just set the crowd alight from the first beat of a drum.

Next is what we came to see. Billy Talent. Opening straight away with a memorable riff, Ian D’Sa; the spotlight is focused on him. A song from the third album, creatively titled III, is the first we hear: “The Dead Can’t Testify”. The crowd bounces in synchronicity. The crowd is still buzzing from Cancer Bats’ performance. “Devil In A Midnight Mass” sees the crowd regain their energetic and brutal state. After this song (and some minor bruising) Ben Kowalewicz explains that the tour needed to be postponed and that it was a much better option than death. The crowd agreed. Next follows “This Is How It Goes” and my first crowdsurfing experience. I love gigs over here, the spirit of everyone is amazing and everyone looks out for each other. I’m safe. A few more songs, new and old, and all my friends take turns to follow my lead. Chants of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” (that’s the county we live in) ring out. The band are confused; they think we’re saying “You’re Sh**!” Laughter breaks out between the band and crowd. The band finish with the spectacular  “Devil On My Shoulder” (lots of Satan references tonight…).  They’ve finished way too soon, the crowd chants for more. We are treated to “Fallen Leaves” and, of course, “Red Flag.”  “Fallen Leaves” sees me crowdsurf again. A hole emerges in the crowd. As the song kicks in to the final chorus the biggest pit I’ve ever seen collides. It’s amazing. “Red Flag” sees the pit increase in size even further. This gig truly a spectacle and a great credit to the band.

A truly amazing gig.