The album starts just as their last, combining the pad opening from “Common Dreads” to the brand new “System…”. A very aggressive statement from frontman and main lyricist Rou Reynolds is counteracted with gentle breaks, and moments of calmness before they drop the storm that is track two, “…Meltdown”. As always with Enter Shikari, gang vocals lead to massive drops and this is certainly true of the album’s opening tracks. The album moves on to previously released single “Snakepit” and then on to my personal favorites “Search Party” and “Stalemate”, giving us their two awesome ballads.

The album runs through very smoothly and it is true to say that the new album certainly is a treat for fans of both “Take To The Skies” and “Common Dreads”. “A Flash Flood Of Colour” is most certainly a mix of flavors experimented in their previous albums but is also much more mature in both musicianship and song content. What struck me whilst listening to the album was that they have managed to keep everything that is Enter Shikari while incorporating many new styles into their music.

Heavier tracks such as “Arguing With Thermometers”, show us some of the sensitive topics that the band touch on, but other tracks such as “Ghandi Mate, Ghandi” once again assure us that they do not take themselves too seriously and that they can still have a good time while combating very touchy material.

“A Flash Flood Of Colour” is a step forward for Enter Shikari and it seems that nothing can stop them from taking over the British rock scene.

The band go on a full UK tour in March. Make sure you do not miss their biggest headline tour to date!

I personally got hooked on this sound at a commercial club (although it was actually a live gig) when Nero played the Knife Party remix of their song ‘Crush on You’ when I went to see their tour at Kasbah, Coventry in October. Turn a cheesy 80s pop song into a belting dance track and you’re on to a winner with me, and this mix managed to turn that dance track into another, completely fresh, belting dance track.

The big hit to look out for on their new release is going to be ‘Internet Friends’. As soon as you first hear it, the hook is imprinted on your mind: “You blocked me on Facebook, and now you’re going to die.” If you’re a fan of dubstep or electro, this should get you going.

The EP is called ’100% No Modern Talking’ and it’s available now to download for free from KnifeParty.com. You can also check out the brand new video for the song ‘Antidote’ – a collaboration with the Swedish House Mafia out on the 15th of January.

Since forming in 2004, the band have gone from strength to strength. From supporting the likes of Four Year Strong and Paramore, to playing the infamous Vans Warped Tour and Soundwave Festival in Australia, I Am The Avalanche proved once again that they are one of the best punk-rock bands on the scene today. Tonight was no different as they played main support to High Wycombe alternative rockers, Young Guns.

I really liked the crowd interaction throughout the performance. Frontman Vinnie Caruana, kept the Hatfield crowd pumped throughout. This could be seen as the audience got more and more involved as the set progressed. The band played an array of material from recently released ‘Avalanche United’ and their self-titled 2005 album. Overall,  the Brooklyn quintet played flawlessly and put on a brilliant show. My favourite tracks from the set were ‘Holy Fuck’ and ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’.

If you are into Senses Fail, Saves The Day and Bleeding Through, I Am The Avalanche are the band for you. Pick up one of their CD’s and catch them on tour. You will not be disappointed.

For more information on I Am The Avalanche check them out on Facebook.

The concert was part of Q Magazine’s live string of gigs, bringing big acts to small venues. Tonights venue is unique and lives up to its name being made of concrete and recycled wood. It’s hard to believe that in a few moments one of Britain’s finest exports will be gracing the tiny stage, separated from the crowd by only a small rope.

You Me At Six hit the stage at 8 firing straight into ‘Hold Me Down’ opener ‘The Consequence’. The track is enough to fire up the crowd and give everyone a feel for what will be a very unique and special evening. The band then dived into ‘Jaws On The Floor’ from their latest album ‘Sinners Never Sleep’. This gave fans who still might not of heard the new CD, a taste of the new material. ‘Sinners Never Sleep’ has seen the band progress and grow, ditching many elements of their early pop-punk days, with a more traditional, dark and gritty rock front. However, somehow, there is still the You Me At Six element that we all love so much.

The band seem refreshed, very surprising considering their hectic touring schedule, and jump between tracks from ‘Hold Me Down’ and ‘Sinners Never Sleep’. They deliver a strong setlist despite dropping all material from their first album “Take Off Your Colours”. The fans do not mind and embrace every minute of seeing their idols in such an intimate setting. Lead singer, Josh Franceschi, seems on top form tonight with strong and distinctive vocals. The bands crowd participation was very prominent, something very effective in such a setting.

You Me At Six powered through hits such as ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Underdog’, ‘Liquid Confidence’ and new single ‘Bite My Tongue’. It is true to say that You Me At Six are on top of their game tonight and they certainly haven’t forgotten how to rock tiny venues.

The Surrey quintet are at their prime and you would be stupid to miss them on their 2012 April Tour. Buy your tickets now to see one of Britain’s hottest rock bands.

As always, My Passion were explosive. Never is there a dull moment in the Hitchin quintet’s set. The boys gave Camden a fistful of their take on electric and dance-punk music. Their stage presence is awesome and give the growing crowd a burst of energy to warm up for the headliners. Fresh from a tour with the Black Veil Brides, they certainly know what they are doing as they tear the stage apart.

It has been a hard couple of years for Madina Lake, but tonight proved they are back and as strong as ever. Kicking off with the track opener from their latest album release “World War III”, the Illinois outfit stamp their mark on Camden. Referencing the recent hard times the band have fallen on, the guys take regular opportunities to thank the fans for their ‘overwhelming support’. Madina Lake had an incredible back catalog to pick from as they powered through classics such as ‘House Of Cards’, ‘One Last Kiss’ and ‘Here I Stand’. If you are yet to purchase new album, ‘World War III’, be quick to do so. It is without a doubt, their best work to date.

Hitting the stage shortly before 9PM the band kick start with ‘Monarchy of Roses’, the first track off their latest album release ‘I’m With You’. This track is to be their next single and we can certainly see why from tonights live performance. The band spoke very little towards the front end of the set and instead treated fans to classics such as ‘Dani California’, ‘Universally Speaking’ and ‘Otherside’. Throughout tonight’s set the band showed off their musical prowess with incredible jamming sessions to remind the world why they are some of the most talented musicians in the business today. Flea’s bass playing was as tight as ever, Chad Smith’s drumming was perfect and as always Anthony Kiedis’ vocals were strong and lush. Fans were also treated to new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who delighted the crowd with his experimental style of playing guitar.

Since forming in 1983 the band have engraved themselves in music history as one of the greatest bands of our time. With their catchy riffs and funk crossover blends there simply is no one like them. Also in tonights setlist was a very well executed version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Higher Ground’ before ‘Californication’ and ‘By The Way’ paved the way for an encore made up of classic tracks ‘Under The Bridge’ and “Give It Away”

We are reminded why the Chili Pepper’s remain rock Gods, and with their on stage energy and presence it will be very hard to forget them. The performance was engineered fantastically with an incredible visual production behind the bands set. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will return to the UK next Summer for their performances in Knebworth and Sunderland.

The support tonight was given to us by Hampshire’s own Canterbury and post-hardcore quintet We Are The Ocean. Both bands seem to have brought along loyal support with many punters sporting merchandise from both bands. Canterbury put on a solid, musically tight performance with powerful vibes throughout the set. Opening with “Peace and Quiet”, the band seem to be in high energy from the word go, however they seem to lack what makes a good live band, a great live band. Never the less, they cannot be flawed for sufficiently warming up the Roundhouse and putting in a performance to make themselves proud.

Next up was We are The Ocean who are certainly no strangers to the scene. Known for their up-beat and electric live shows they certainly had a lot to live up to tonight. Opening with the first track from their latest album ‘Go Now and Live’ it is already evident that their set tonight is going to be special. Liam Cromby’s strong vocals reverberate to every corner of the venue which is fantastically complemented by Dan Brown’s powerful shouting vocal technique. Having supported such bands as The Used, Lostprophets and Funeral for a Friend, they are exercised well in the method of warming up a crowd for what is to be a memorable night. Battling through fan favorites such as, ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’. ‘Confessions’ and ‘Runaway’, the set came to an explosive end with a brilliantly executed ‘The Waiting Room’. The Essex five piece had certainly set a high level for the evening.

Only The Blackout can live up to what we have already seen. Coming on to ‘This Is Our Time‘ from their latest album ‘Hope’, we can see that tonight The Blackout mean business. Throughout the set the Welsh sextet refer to their armory of albums, giving fans, old and new, their monies worth. As always the crowd interaction is sensational with the band at frequent intervals thanking the fans for their unconditional support on a night which is evidently very special to them. Tonight ‘You Are Not Alone’, ‘Spread Legs Not Lies’ and ‘The Storm’ remind us all of why The Blackout are such a unique power of a live band. The set came to an end with their trusty ‘Im A Riot? You’re A Fucking Riot!’ and ‘Higher and Higher’, which was spontaneously played not once, but twice! The band have made themselves and their fans very proud in Camden this evening, and hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come.

The Blackout continue their assault on the live scene with We Are The Ocean over in Europe and will return in December for the “Christmas Hope Tour”. Make sure to buy your ticket!

Having never experienced an Enter Shikari show before tonight, I had no idea what to expect. What surprised me the most was how energetic the crowd were. It was something that I had never seen before – constant crowd surfing and circle pits appearing out of nowhere. Prior to tonight, I’ve never seen a crowd that crazy and upbeat. This just shows how strong the Enter Shikari fan base really is, and how hard the band has worked to get to where they are today.

If you’ve never been to an Enter Shikari show, one of the things that needs to be appreciated is the amount of energy the band put into their live show. Halfway through the set, guitarist Rory Clewlow decided to start playing from the top of some staging and front man, Rou Reynolds decided to beat up a speaker with a drum symbol. From all the bands I’ve seen in the past, Enter Shikari put on the best live show and give the fans their all when they go out to perform.

Stand out tracks from the evening were opener ‘Destabilise’, ’ Zzzonked’, ‘Sssnakepit’ and Shikari classic ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’. Having listened to both Shikari albums prior to the gig, I noticed the band sounds exactly like they do on record. I was really impressed by this, as most bands sound nothing like they do on CD when playing live. The band closed the set with ‘OK, Time For Plan B’.

Before the gig, I wasn’t a fan, but after seeing them play live and having experienced the Shikari gig atmosphere for myself, I can now say without a doubt, I am. I look forward to the new album and the headline tour in March.

It’s been 3 years since Reading five piece, Exit Ten released their debut album, ‘Remember The Day’. After receiving stellar reviews from various music press, the boys are back with ‘Give Me Infinity’. To describe the album in one word, it would be WOW. I know it’s clichéd to say, but the band’s sound has matured. Compared to ‘Remember The Day’, ‘Give Me Infinity’ is more melodic, anthemic and has that genuine rock sound.

The first track ‘Life’ opens the album and sets the tone for the rest of the CD. The vocals go exceptionally well with the thudding bass line and sick guitar riffs. Other stand out tracks are ‘Drama’, ‘Suggest A Path’ and album closer ‘Lion’. ‘Drama’ has that great harmonic guitar sound and slick melodic vocals. ‘Eyes Never Lie’ is another brilliant track. Even though it’s one of the slower songs on the CD, vocalist Ryan Redman pushes it to the limit, and delivers clean vocals, backed by epic sounding instrumentals.

As mentioned, Exit Ten’s sound has matured, but in my opinion, this if for the better. The band has kept some of its heavy aspects to appeal to older fans, but has that melodic and rockier sound to appeal to new fans.

It says a lot about a band, where a review of one of their album has no negative points at all. This is most certainly the case here. Rarely are bands so engaging, musically interesting and just generally enjoyable. Expect big things from Exit Ten.

10/10

Release Date: 10/10/2011
Deep Burn Records

Up next were The Xcerts. Opening with “Do You Feel Safe?”, the band powered through an amazing half hour set. Playing tracks from the 2009 album, ‘In the Cold Wind We Smile’ and last years ‘Scatterbrain’, fans were treated to an array of material. All tracks were received well by the London crowd. The band were genuniely pleased to be playing London and made this clear by thanking the fans in attendance. “Hurt With Me” concluded the set.

Michigan’s finest, Every Avenue, were next to grace the stage. With their new album ‘Bad Habits’ released earlier in the week, I was really looking forward to checking them out. Halfway through the set, guitarist Jimmie Deeghan, appeared to have broken his foot. What I really admired, was that he carried on playing and finished the set. Even being injured, the songs were pulled off flawlessly and note perfect. Vocalist David Strauchman, kept the crowd going throughout. Highlights were set opener, “Picture Perfect”, “Tie Me Down”, “Fall Apart” and Jimmie playing with a broken foot.

As a teenager, vocalist Gustav Wood, always imagined what it would be like to play The Forum. Tonight this came to fruition. This was the biggest crowd Young Guns had ever performed to. The band played an awesome set start to finish. After being in the studio for a few months, recording the follow up to ’All Our Kings Are Dead’, you could tell the band were eager and pumped to play. Early on, there was a slight technical problem with the stage lights blowing during “Sons of Apathy”, however this was shortly rectified and the band carried on with the rest of the show. Highlights were “Elements”, ”Stitches” and show closer “Weight Of The World”. Young Guns prove that you don’t need a fancy lighting rig to put on a show, just great music. Even with the technical difficulties, Young Guns put on the gig of the year. I look forward to album number 2.