Having won tickets to Sonisphere, I feel obliged to at least pay my way a little bit. So, here’s my write-up of last weekend!
EDIT: a scaled down version of this has now been published in the new High Voltage fanzine, available later this week in Night & Day, Piccadilly Records and other fine establishments around Manchester, so go pick up a copy. Now.
EDITED EDIT: FYI, the fanzine can now be downloaded here!
Launched as a two-fingers-up at Download Festival and its organisers, Sonisphere started off strong earlier this year, announcing a raft of bands that would’ve more than likely headed to Download had it not been for the sway of Sonisphere’s festival director Stuart Galbraith. The two fests then traded high profile announcements in a tit-for-tat that continued until Sonisphere ran out of bands, ultimately resulting in Download selling out and Sonisphere looking for ways to bring in the punters. This included dishing out large amounts of free tickets, much to the chagrin of those that actually bought theirs. However, it’s nearly impossible to be in a bad mood at a festival, and all the rumblings of discontent taking place among the ticket-buying community were soon forgotten once the partying started.
Festival openers SOiL have ridden on the success of their one relatively well-known track ‘Halo’ for nearly 10 years now, which was highly apparent from the lukewarm reception most of their other material received. Alien Ant Farm, on the other hand, proved that despite their one-hit-wonder status (or two hits, if you’re feeling generous), they can put on a good show and have more strings to their bow than a Michael Jackson cover and a song which was only memorable because it featured Oompa-Loompas in the video.
With seemingly no-one taking an interest in being exposed to the whining emo strains of Taking Back Sunday, the Bohemia tent is packed with those looking to check out Reading-based Sylosis. It’s easy to see why the band has received such plaudits from the rock and metal press recently, as they offer up a tight 40 minutes of hardcore-infused metal that really gets the crowd going, and generates what surely is the biggest pit the Bohemia tent will see all weekend.
Over on the second stage, the addition of ABBA cover band Bjorn Again raised more than a few eyebrows leading up to the festival, and although they’re proficient at what they do (including a note-perfect Metallica homage), you can’t help but feel that this was more a failed experiment in irony on the part of the organisers than anything else.
After this strange spectacle, a mad rush to the main stage ensues, as the crowd head to check out Anthrax reunited with erstwhile vocalist John Bush. Having not sung with the band for five years and only joining them on stage as a last minute replacement for recently departed singer Dan Nelson, you would be forgiven for thinking that this wasn’t going to be one of Anthrax’s better performances. However, Bush settles back into classics such as ‘Caught in a Mosh’, ‘I am the Law’ and ‘Bring the Noise’ with such ease that you half think that he’s been practicing them daily since he left the band in 2004, waiting for this moment to arrive.
Next up is Airbourne who, If AC/DC didn’t exist, could well be one of the most exciting bands out there at the moment. However, AC/DC do, and Airbourne are not. That’s not for want of trying though, as the lead vocalist/guitarist risk his neck and scales the rigging of the stage in the now pissing rain to perform one of his many solos, much to the glee of the crowd. They’re a fun band to watch, but their music is so derivative of Angus and co that it all seems kind of pointless.
Over on the main stage is Heaven and Hell, essentially the Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath line-up performing under a different name. Those looking for versions of ‘Paranoid’ or ‘Iron Man’ will be disappointed, as the band stick solely to the four albums they produced as a group sans Ozzy, and it is this lack of familiarity among the masses that arguably leads to the band not receiving the type of reaction they deserve. However, for those with prior knowledge of the band in this form, Heaven and Hell put on a great show, coming only second to Anthrax in the band of the day stakes.
Closing the Saturday is Linkin Park, who despite their headliner status, are somewhat eclipsed by the preceding main stage acts. However, once LP’s detractors in the crowd pipe down, pangs of nostalgia start to creep in as the band gloss over their newer material and move on to older tracks like ‘In the End’, ‘Faint’ and ‘Papercut’. No-one cares that every song sounds the same; they still get everyone jumping up and down like a giddy 14-year old.
Somewhat egotistically, vocalist Chester Bennington decides that the encore would be a perfect place to showcase his alt-rock side project Dead by Sunrise (who, incidentally, are nothing to write home about), but at least they finish on a couple of old LP favourites to round off a successful first day.
While Saturday has certainly provided a wide variety of talent both old and new, it seems more like a prelude of what’s to come. There’s a general feeling among the campers, backed up by the sheer number of day ticket holders showing up bright and early, that this fest was always about the Sunday.
Still riding high on the success of their recent albums and quickly becoming the new royalty of the metal fraternity, Lamb of God and Mastodon take to the main and second stage, respectively, to be greeted by the two biggest crowds of the weekend thus far. While Lamb of God’s bombastic set is as near perfect as it could be (especially considering the presence of a stand-in guitarist in the place of Mark Morton), Mastodon’s set is blighted by sound issues. As has been the case in the past, their esoteric sound isn’t really suited to the acoustics of a festival PA system, and sadly a lot of the intricacies of their music get lost in the wind, which has picked up irritatingly on cue for the start of the band’s set.
Having ‘pulled out’ of the fest after being pushed down a slot by the late addition of Limp Bizkit, Machine Head defiantly stroll on stage to reveal themselves as the Special Guests alluded to on the programme and posters. By way of an apology to the fans in the crowd who were no doubt disappointed by their absence from the line-up, the band eschews the set-list they’ve used for the last two years in favour of a more broad crowd-pleasing song selection.
After Linkin Park the previous night, the nu-metal nostalgia levels are on a high once again for the arrival of Limp Bizkit. Although the band’s material may not have as much significance now as it did 10 years ago, it’s still fun to see Fred Durst stomp around like an angry teenager, despite being nearly 40 and more interested in topping up his pension fund than being pissed off at his mum/dad/girlfriend.
What is supposedly Nine Inch Nails’ final ever UK performance is a somewhat sombre affair. Overlooking the more well known tracks such as ‘Closer’ and ‘Head Like a Hole’, the band opt for a much more mellow set-list than would be expected for a festival show. Although perhaps not a fitting swansong for Trent Reznor and co, it’s still met with rapturous cheers and applause by the end of it.
Finally, closing the main stage is headliners Metallica, who were always going to be the biggest draw of the festival. And they’re as dependable as always. Despite a couple of sound issues over the first one or two songs, the metal legends offer up a set-list that includes the more obvious hits (Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters), a sizeable chunk of the new album and a selection of lesser-played fan favourites (Blackened, Dyer’s Eve and Hit the Lights).
Despite is flaws (and there are a few), Sonisphere got a great deal right. Value for money should probably be the key goal for next year if it is to truly compete with more established festivals e.g. Download is the same cost for two more days and over double the bands. However, if it can get this right and pull in a line-up as strong as this year, then Sonisphere could well become a mainstay in the British summer festival calendar.
