EASTPAK ANTIDOTE TOUR Live @ The Pyramids, 21/10/2009

Ghost Of A Thousand

The queue still stretches far outside when Ghost of a Thousand take the stage. Strangely the room full from sell-out gig, the last of the tour. Nevertheless they really want to incite carnage. Tom Lacy, the lead singer, leaps over the barrier and disappears into the crowd and a huge mosh pit forms. Given the diversity in their first two albums, their set is solid and truly sets the bar high in terms of energy, enthusiasm and crowd participation. It culminates with firstly with ‘Running on Empty’ where the room is split and then collides. The venue nicely filled at this point. Finally Tom’s into the crowd again to build a human pyramid with their final song ‘Black Art Number One’. A much hyped band and rightly so.

Four Years Strong was up next. They play out their set without much trouble. Unfortunately due to the poor sound of the Pyramids it all blends to one block of noise. Ghost defiantly set the bar high and FYS just lacked the passion previously seen.

Anti Flag bring a much different tone to the stage. Easily the most physically polished of the bunch, it’s a very much more user friendly set. The energy was back in abundance and the crowd pretty much ecstatic. Again a pit swelled up that encompassed the entire floor. Initially I was sceptical, it looked and sounded like a band built for commercial success. But in the end they won me over, it was fun, it was genuinely enjoyable. Even the cover of The Clash went down well and didn’t feel sacrilegious. With everything back on track, Alexionfire took to the stage.

They’ve been at this for a while now and their maturing and connection on a band really shows. Its solid and the music sounds epic that rises way above the support. But for all the professionalism, the crowd connection was lost. Though they may still love the band and the music, but it was a set to listen to and not to be a part of.