shinedown live

Hmmm, this was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting huge things from such a relatively new band that had never experienced such a big tour and large venues before, but Reading’s Counterpoint have taken to it like proverbial ducks to water. Their bluesy 70s style heavy classic rock riffs went down a treat with the expectant and big crowd. Front man Jay Bartlett can hack it vocally, and with the current resurgence of classic rock, their time could be now. The only gripe was that as a band they looked a bit odd visually and need to make more of an effort on stage dress. Bloody good effort though for such a young band and went down a storm.

SOIL step it up a gear as they take to the stage, and immediately take on the challenge of being serious contenders. Here is one hell of a powerful live band, and so often overlooked and underrated in recent years.

Changing vocalists mid career doesn’t seem to have done them any harm as they seem set on making it this time round on a second wind. Current vocalist AJ Cavalier is a fine replacement, oozing aggression and charisma in equal parts, with a more versatile voice that can produce more depth and magic in the new songs. There’s less screamo and a lot more powerful, punchy vocals to support the much more diverse and deeper songs such as The Lesser Man from the new album Picture Perfect.

Their classic older anthem Halo sees Rock City go wild at the end of the set; it’s still a firm favourite in the nightclub here and everyone knows it. SOIL bow out having won over pretty much the whole of a packed Rock City. They could have probably headlined themselves on this performance.

Shinedown take it up yet a notch further. This is a band absolutely on the crest of a wave at the moment and it shows. Their confidence shines from the first note of ‘Sound of Madness and it’s immediately obvious that these guys are now in the big league. Everything is tight and polished and BIG. The sound is just huge and powerful, and there’s an energy and almost speed-fuelled edge to it all that a band currently at the top of their game carries. All members of the band are going for it 110% from the off, there’s movement on stage, and it’s visually entertaining as well as massive in your ears.

Vocalist Brent Smith takes a powerful and commanding pose up on the monitor from the start, a place he spends a lot of the evening, and as soon as he starts to sing you just get an amazing warm feeling inside. Surely he must be one of the best live rock vocalists around right now? Such power and depth and utter note perfect quality. So powerful and emotional I almost found myself with tears in my eyes at times. It’s not often these days you here someone who is such a naturally amazing singer.

I always feel like I shouldn’t like Shinedown. I berate myself that they’re way too much like Nickelback in places… I mean, the new album is radio friendly and downright commercial isn’t it? What if. God forbid, I actually start liking Nickelback next? I don’t think I’d want to go on. But Shinedown make me feel better about myself tonight by making sure that on a live stage everything is louder, rockier and ballsier.

Smith’s also not shy of a bit of banter between songs. Well, actually a lot of banter. You can’t shut him up. The band tries to play and he just waffles on over the top of them. If he was from Worksop he’s probably be bottled off and told to get on with it, but with his rock star style and deep American drawl he manages to get away with his lengthy almost evangelical preaching that goes on for an age between songs, and the crowd lap up his stories and absorb his sincerity pleas. He and guitarist Zach Myers also have regular face-to-face sessions on stage in what looks almost like some bizarre mating ritual that must surely worry their respective womenfolk...

They didn’t just stick to the stunning new album that has given them their big break worldwide; all three albums had tracks aired. A balance of the faster rockier tracks and the slower almost ballad-like ones mixed up the tempo nicely, giving the moshpit a chance to catch its breath. If You Only Knew had everyone swaying along with lighters and mobiles lit up. My personal fave Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide got the mosh pit going crazy,. The encore was a foregone conclusion; hit single Devour had the whole place punching the air and Shinedown blew Rock City away. One of the shows of the year there.

by Lynn Wyeth