Ignition failure
It’s barely nudging 2pm by the time Canadians Alexisonfire take to the main stage but they do alright with the crowd, drawing a decent gathering of fans down at the front for the .
Unfortunately for a band like Alexisonfire if the sound isn’t right then they either sound like a wall of sound or lacking in punch and today it’s the latter. Any further back than the mixing desk (which is not that far) and the sound is way too quiet. What this means is that for the casual observer back on the hill they struggle to make any kind of impact. The faster songs aren’t bad but the screamo vocals are just a bit much after a while and when vocalist George Pettit does revert to singing in the slower songs, it’s all a bit dull really.
They look dwarfed by the main stage but they do their best and put in an energetic show, even managing to get a small pit going down at the front. Overall thought it’s not really working, this stage is too big for them and the sound just isn’t good enough, all attempts at crowd interaction struggle as you simply can’t hear a word anyone is saying. Not really a missed opportunity but probably a case of knowing your limits and I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn up back in the safety of the Lock Up tent next time round.