Show Review: UK Sonisphere Festival 2010 Round Up (Saturday, July 31st)

Sonisphere day two. Or hangover day one, as many of us will remember it. For the festival-goers who were up early enough (or perhaps hardcore enough to just not have been to bed yet) Family Force 5 took to the Saturn Stage. If you’re unfamiliar with them, as I was, then I can tell you they’re a little like Hollywood Undead mixed with 3Oh!3 and Brokencyde. Certainly not to everyone’s taste, but they put on a decent show nonetheless, as was evident from the slightly confused smiles on the faces of a questionably metal crowd.

The Bohemia tent welcomed Welsh classic rockers Heaven’s Basement. Fresh from a small headlining UK tour, and despite being in a state of disarray with regards to their lineup and not having a permanent lead vocalist, they played a genuinely brilliant set. It really says something about a band if they can have a temporary singer and still play a tight set with such charisma.

And the musical brilliance continued on the main stage with rock legends Anthrax, who were debatably one of the most widely enjoyed bands of the weekend. Their ten-song set closed with “Indians”, which the band dedicated to Dio, inspiring an equally respectful and immense roar of applause from the sea of onlookers.

A brief visit to the Red Bull Stage revealed a relatively unknown band – No Mean City. While they didn’t have the most sizeable crowd, or very much enthusiasm from the one they did have, their adorable female singer flitted around the stage as though she was experiencing a sugar rush from eating an entire family sized bag of Haribo. Not a superbly impressive set, but energetic and fun, and with their alternative twangy sound proved a pleasant break from the heavy rifftastic chuggers on stages elsewhere.

Shortly after, Papa Roach perform their surprisingly impressive show on the main stage. Jacoby Shaddix delightfully informs the crowd that Justin Bieber is a “fucking little cocksucker”, to rapturous applause, though the joy from the crowd dissipates slightly when Shaddix informs us a brand new song is about to be played. But fortunately for him, it’s late enough in the day that 75% of the audience is moderately inebriated, and the new song goes down like a slightly dodgy oyster. That is, a little unsavory, but fleeting. Naturally, they closed the set with “Last Resort”, and all was well.

Whereas many would cite Rammstein as the true highlight of the Saturday, they were at least equalled by Mötley Crüe, who headlined the Saturn Stage. There isn’t really much to be said, because their performance really did all the talking. With a set including “Kickstart My Heart”, “Dr Feelgood”, “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S)”, “Ten Seconds To Love”, and “Girls, Girls, Girls”, it’s clear that these guys know how to entertain a crowd. And what’s more, they really looked like they were enjoying themselves. The downside of festivals is that only the main stage headliners really get to play a full set, and Mötley Crüe’s performance was definitely deserving of a longer timeslot. Absolutely fantastic.  [ END ]

Check out the song: “Saints Of Los Angeles”