* Kentish Town Forum, not Koko as above.
After the first proper day?s sunshine we?ve seen since September, the Forum is a heaving mass of pre-pubescent sweat and exhaustion tonight. Mayday Parade (2.5/5) kick things off to a rather underwhelming start despite their best efforts, battling sound issues and a generally uninterested audience along the way. Oh they were alright I suppose – inoffensive with their choreographed stage moves and occasional hooks – but who wants ?alright? in 2010?
It takes We Are The Ocean (4.5/5) little time to remind us what a good couple of years on the road, slogging your balls off and generally getting tight as fuck looks like. Their absurdly overdue debut album may finally be out in the open but it?s still the classics ?God Damn Good? and set closer ?Nothing Good Has Happened Yet? that prove to be highlights. Dan Brown is the epitome of a showman, and while the Alexisonfire comparisons may be old and tedious, their live set is just as exciting as their Canadian counterparts. Not sure why Dan keeps doing the lawnmower, though.
For the concluding show of their current UK jaunt, Madina Lake (4/5) certainly look the part, although ringleader Nathan Leone seems to have forgotten his footwear. Nevertheless he footloosely leads his kinsmen through a commendable celebration of their hits to date. It?s a formulaic set and the in-song banter does grate, but it doesn?t shelter the fact Madina Lake are still one of the most energetic actively touring bands around. Somewhere along the way, Nathan tells the crowd he “hasn;t had this much fun since puberty?. A room full of people know exactly what he means, and that’s a sign of a job well done.