Linkin Park

Just one look at tonight’s queue outside Brixton Academy and it's clear to see just how much the crowds are changing. As kids of around eleven or twelve with parents stand in a queue which is mainly of the mid-teen variety, two things become increasingly apparent. First of all is that rock has officially tapped into the mainstream (Whether that's a good or bad thing I leave to your own judgment) and second of all is that it certainly ain't Slayer playing tonight. Tonight we should see the coronation of the hot-young things Linkin Park, taking over the nu-metal crown and stealing the crown as the latest mini-moshers sensations.

But nothing could prepare you for the sights and sounds of tonight’s support, Britain's own Lost Prophets. A sonic attack of Deftones dynanicism and a melody unlike anyone else currently doing the rounds of the rock circuit, the Welsh sextet are quite simply on fire tonight. At last we have a band that are British that give the Yanks a run for their money. Sure enough Earthtone 9 and the like are very good but they are never gonna douse the world with gasoline and set it all on fire, but in the Lost Prophets you genuinely believe they can do it. They have the energy, stage presence and crowd interaction that makes them the only metal act in the country worthy of the tag 'Next Big Thing'. Simply astonishing.

Having to follow what has gone before them you just have to feel a little bit sorry for Linkin Park. Sure enough the band have the audience in waves of ecstasy and Chester Bennington puts in a blinder of a performance (The mohawk has gone leaving him as the Sinead O'Conner of the metal scene) but after seeing the unbridled intensity of the Lost Prophets, Linkin Park seem as fake as Jordan's....well, you get the idea. Before tonight I always thought the manufactured rumors were exactlt that, idle gossip. After seeing the band perform tonight, however, it all starts to make a little more sense. We see the amazing synchronized head-banging, Mike Shinoda's orchestration of the audience to wave their hands from side to side and a nice little acoustic session but what the hell is this a metal act or a Robbie Williams show? The kids lap it up and the screams are ear-piercing but it makes you wonder what the difference between the two actually is. The above listing is quite disappointing but there is worse news to come as three brand new tracks are previewed. If 'High voltage' (Pure hip-pop, hardly any guitars), 'Add One' (Completely forgettable) and Chester's solo acoustic number (My god it's 'Every Rose Has It's Thorn' for the Nu-Generation) are anything to go by then the Linkin Park success story could well last shorter than a sex session with Paddy Ashdown. All of this is probably irrelevant because Linkin Park will continue to sell masses of records as the show goes down a treat with the kids. When the band end with a typically rousing rendition of 'One Step Closer' it's amazing to see such a reaction from the 'Park massive (The throng provide massive word for word chorus support all night long). A coronation of sorts but just how long will it last?