The most favourable band of the night is Four Year Strong. Each armed with mic and instrument, the five men belt out a satisfyingly gritty gig. In this setting, with young GC fans, disco lights and serious lack of alcohol consumption, the band somewhat resemble your older brother and his senior friends, trying out a live gig in the school gymnasium (a fucking dazzling live gig at that) Penchant for their hooligan-chanting lyrics which crack with power and grip, they churn up the crowd into various mosh pits and hand-clapping mobs. Their albums are driven by double bass drums and the screaming guitars add the extra emphasis. Our chests definitely felt the impressive thudding beats, but sadly, the accent riffs were hard to perceive, perhaps due to the confined venue. Even so, whether recorded or right in front of your eyes, they successfully manage to blend pop punk with happy hardcore into some sort of metallic rainbow.
Cuddled up to my boyfriend at the back of the venue as aha! Keep your hands off my girl, Good Charlotte parade the stage. I feel nostalgic; I’m reminded of high school days with old friends who I’m currently missing a lot. We were noticeably veterans to this teen-pop-punk scene as we dodged gangs of inconsiderate jumping kids, the ones who feel a bit too emotionally involved and the little bastards who insist on flailing their sweaty limbs in every direction. Oh well, one would be a hypocritical fool to deny ever experiencing a fair wad of teenage angst. So enough babble about the crèche/crowd, the band onstage started 15 years ago, if anyone has old hand authority, its these boys. Not many 90’s award winning pop rockers can still entertain on mass, let alone maintain a first-rate set list which bubbles with radio hits and newly released tracks. I can congratulate and applaud Good Charlotte for that credit. They play some good routines, including one of my fav’s, ‘The River’. I haven’t got much to say about their music or vocals as such, its experienced, over played and laminated with rehearsal. You can hear it on your IPod. Whether that is a positive remark or not, that opinion swings. You’re so predictable I knew something would go wrong. So as for their performance, the Madden brothers make my face crease, no unfortunately not with joy, with cringe-worthy traded banter. The embarrassing sketches would introduce the following song, [insert chitchat about how cool Cardiff is] “you know what you guys look like, sex on the radio”... just guess what song they played after that gag. Very American (no offence) It was a plastic cliché overall.
