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Well the reservations I had about the mood of the show were completely unnecessary, as this was the most energetic and intensely powerful band that I have ever seen live, and quite often its the crowd that also steals the limelight!

Supporting this evening was a band called Serafin.  An intriguing band, heavy and very intense and both my gigging partner Michelle and I said that we would most definitely like to hear their CD because the live performance was a good introduction for us.  I might find they're a little too heavy for me on disc, but I did enjoy them.  It's a shame that most of the crowd were simply there for Feeder.  It had been a cold night waiting outside, and I think everyone just wanted Feeder to warm their night up for them, so Serafin weren't really greeted with as warm a reception as should be really.

They had a guitarist who did not stop jumping around the stage, where he gets the energy from I don't know!  Probably best not to ask!  But he had talent with it - he'd switch from playing guitar to keyboard on occasion.  The singer really didn't sing so much as yelled, so no lyrics could be made out, but all in all, I'd say they were suitable support for me - but like I say - everyone was really there for Feeder.  Incidentally, if anyone out there has more information to give me about the names of the band members or anything, please let me know.

The opening song of the night was the monstrous Come Back Around - the drums... oh WOW!  I can't describe to you just exactly how crazy the crowd went, except all I know was that I couldn't feel the floor much any more!  We all went mental, there was crowd surfing, people getting crushed and trampled on, clothes almost pulled off and amongst all this was Feeder doing their thing, just like old times!  They were happy to be on stage and belting out their heavy rock anthems.  Taka's feet barely touched the floor for jumping around.  New guitarist Dean was quietly smiling at the crowd, looking really chuffed to be there and on occasion had a bit of a jump around aswell.

Mark Richardson is an absolutely astounding drummer, and the power he put through the drums were perfectly matched by the pogoing going on in the crowd.  He is a very talented man, and I hereby truly truly welcome him into the Feeder fold.  Thank you Mark, for making the introduction such an incredible one.

Grant, who I realised is smaller than I imagined him, was pitch perfect throughout the show and was really chatty with the crowd.  Classic Feeder!  They played a slower song mid-way through the performance, which had a pre-recorded string section as an accompaniment, and afterwards Grant laughed at us, and said "I've never seen crowd surfing to strings before!"  Also at several points in the show he would dedicate a song to a particular section of the crowd, most notably he played an excellent rendition of My Perfect Day, dedicating it to the people getting crushed in the front.  That song was the worst crush ever! Ha-ha!  Thanks Grant!

But the highlight was a true compliment from Grant, near the end of the main set.  He came up to the mic, said "Rock City" - of course we cheered.  Then he said "You really do, you've made this job really easy for us tonight, it's been mental, we've never seen anything like it, you guys rock!" - it brought a lump to my throat, to be honest.

Each show in this tour has had a slightly different set-list, so we were excited by the chance to name some of our favourites before the gig, to see if they'd get played - for my guesses, all my prayers were answered, save for the omission of Oxygen, I was treated to High, Come Back Around, Godzilla (mental as I had hoped it would be) and they played Turn, one of Michelle's complete favourites, and I'd have to agree it was fab to hear it live.

The stage set up was a screen backdrop, which played videos and graphics as Feeder played, but other than that, it was a simple rock gig, cranked up to the limits of what your ears could take.  To be honest, if there was any other stuff going on, I really didn't notice because I was being pushed and pulled every which way.  If a slower song came on, I'd just stand with my eyes closed, getting my breathe back and letting the music wash over me.  It's a fabulous sensation that's almost like a drug, as you forget all your troubles and drift away, or you get an adrenalin rush from being beaten up.

Amazing!

The encore started off on a gentle vibe, as just Grant returned to the stage, with an acoustic guitar and played Love Pollution, a lovely way to do this song, I must say.

At the last song of the show, Grant said "I want you to all get jumping to this one, this is our last song" and opened up Just A Day.  Our last chance to lose it, and sing along to every word.  Everyone was so charged. The music was spot on - sound was incredible and the band were mad. What more do you want?

Dare I say, this bettered any Stereophonics gig I've ever experienced...  :)

I may well start a whole fresh site for this band!

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Set-list:

Come Back Around
We Can’t Rewind

Seven Days In The Sun
Helium