Billy Talent

What’s going on with band names these days? London based foursome The Holiday Plan might have an even less favourable name than headliners Billy Talent but certainly manage to compete musically with the Canadian (half-)stars. Raw. New. Insidious. They sound like all the best parts of Lost Prophets and Hundred Reasons in a giant bag of fun. How has the music industry survived for so long without them? Matt Rider makes an affable front man also, although his paranoia of the ‘poor’ sounding bass does get more than weary; especially as it seems more like a lack of talent than the apparent ‘technical difficulties’! For now their role is to support BT** and they know it… but how long will it be before they realise their place is so much higher above their current station.

One at a time Billy Talent** approach us, churning the crowd into a mass of ecstatic anticipation, jamming their instruments like all pop-punks should do, crowd surfers already chucking their small framed bodies into disrepute; and getting knocked out by the low, low ceiling! The splintering drum and guitar breaks are something memorable, as is the massive hair of guitarist Ian D'Sa, (supported like that guy from Static-X) which most definitely needs some critical acclaim of its own. It’s so hard not to like the buzz of this pop-punk melee. Girlfriends, dragged here by their punk-ass Guyfriends, are even getting into the tunes – and man, you know how hard it is to impress girls these days…

Despite the band’s good performance and the delight so obvious in the crowd, perhaps the real star tonight is single 'Try Honesty'. It's certainly met with mass appreciation on all sides of the audience. Will this band be around next year? If there’s more tunes like this then yes. More than yes – these guys would be crazy-good! 'Try Honesty'_ is a killer song. But if all Lost Prophets* were was _'Shinobivsdragonninja'_ I doubt they’d have survived this long. Good luck Bt*, we'll see you again I hope?