Bullet For My Valentine

*Aiden *only began their mission 3 years ago and like so many American bands, practised and practised until their dramatic and compelling live show was their ultimate crowning glory. The sheer radius of microphone swing that vital frontman *wiL Francis *attains is greater and more clinical than Matt Davies ever managed.

That nearly every song on the Seattle quintet’s breakthrough album, _Nightmare Anatomy _follows the simple, classic 3-minute song structure is telling and while their uncomplicated, gothic-tinged, AFI-lite, emo rock will receive much contempt from anyone that has not yet succumbed to The Scene, the excellence of execution here is quite amazing.

By using unorthodox grammatical techniques and singing about his numerous sad, real-life experiences, Francis has managed to capture the attention of the youth of today as their new spokesperson of pain, overtaking My Chemical Romance in those stakes. wiL’s last action was to sing the last song stood on the shoulders of some members of the audience, hilariously screaming that all in front of him were his "brothers and sisters". This massive show was a memorable end to the night for them and many others.

A band that is slightly rougher round the edges is Still Remains. The quintet’s hardcore stance is impressive and tight and vocalist *T.J. Miller *roars his way through to the thankfully infrequent emo ‘moments’, where he needs to be a more than adequate singer. He succeeds and, make no mistake, this is a rare trait – not every vocalist is capable of pulling off.

Disastrously swinging siren guitars play through the brutal Killswitch cacophony of gloriously futuristic harmonies courtesy of some menacing keyboards that nod vigorously toward mighty Swedes, In Flames. It’s easier to see a more universal appeal with these metallers.

Despite playing heavy music that could fit into the metalcore trend that the kids will be following for the next couple of years, their cracking Roadrunner debut, _Of Love And Lunacy _the Grand Rapids natives have a farther reach and a timeless quality about them. Still Remains will be back here time and time again. Make no mistake about that.

Sadly, the same can be said of the most shameful of emocore purveyors, Hawthorne Heights. It can’t be doubted that 2006 will be a massive year for both this band and their Victory Records labelmates, Aiden, but tonight the crowd were here for the headliners and there seemed to be an indifferent atmosphere but that changed slightly as more and more started singing along to the infectious pop-hardcore of their ’04 smash hit, Silence In Black And White.

Personally, I don’t like to be infected. With anything. It’s not nice. However, that apathy will not help this band be remembered in years to come. Some things really are just best left forgotten.

Forgotten is one thing *Bullet For My Valentine *will not be for a long while. Having made enough waves to sell out this large theatre tour the Bridgend quartet are now hell-bent on flying the Welsh flag over in America. On tonight’s performance they have a good chance as any. Headlining the Brixton Academy is no mean feat and merely plodding around the stage, playing all the songs off your album, dressed like everyman’s best mate does not sound like fun to me. That’s why the Bullet… boys emerge onto the stage in a blaze of true glory; every single one decked out in their black muscle shirts uniform. Mental.

Their formidable frontman, *Matt Tuck *rushes around the stage glaring ominously and throwing every single rock pose your daddy never taught you. The poise, the prowess, the metal – it’s all here. As Tuck runs up on the platform behind the drum riser to perform their latest single - the epic metal ballad, ‘All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)’ - there is an almighty cheer and even almightier sing-along. The set was carried out with this same outstanding proficiency from start to finish running through a million fine metal riffs that crunch and twinkle alternately. With the overt showmanship not dwindling for one moment this was a performance to remember.

For me, Bullet… have always been a bit of a funny one. They hit the middle ground in that they’re not quite as polished and taut as many of the more successful American rock bands (see: Aiden and Trivium’s ultra-professional displays) but similarly they aren’t flawed enough or playing the British underdog character (see: the carefree determination of Iron Maiden or Motorhead) to be welcomed by all and sundry. With a career path reminiscent of the Lostprophets, *Bullet For My Valentine *have the ability to perform a metal masterclass on a whim and possess ample rock attitude to succeed on both sides of the pond and good luck to them.

Hot photographs of an even hotter Matt Tuck by Abi Scott.