10

Energetic and melodic.

Supporting a hip-hop band may not be what you expect from one of Kerrang magazines top ten tips for 2007 but Madina Lake are not your average hard-rocking band.

With their songs and ethos being based in a mini-world of their own making, its clear that they've put a lot of thinking into their progression and their decision to play to different types of fans will either make them or break them.

Thankfully, they don't really mess about and immediately set about the venue with a punky pop number that sees the band spiralling all over the stage. Even if the crowd takes a few numbers to warm to the act, Madina Lake weren't waiting for an invitation to jump about.

Being largely unaware of the bands material before the start, the amount of melody led-choruses made it pretty easy to get into the songs. Sure the guitars crunched and rattled quickly and bass player Matt Leone was intent on harming himself or the drummer with his non-stop tearing about but the feel-good delivery of the vocal really stood out.

'Here I Stand' starts delicately before the sampled beats kick in and builds confidently until the chorus begins, and it would easily hold its own on the radio at the moment, such is the confident approach of it.

Lead singer Nathan Leone wasn't going to let a tiny matter like a burst lip and countless stitches hold him back but even then, his performance during the last two songs of the set was pretty impressive. Managing to hang from the rafters above the crowd and still maintain his singing was good but then the rollover flip and crowd surf was even better. It was obvious throughout the night that he, and his band, were interested in putting on a show of entertainment as much as the music and that really shone through by the end.

And the crowd seemed won over by the set – for a support slot its always difficult to gauge the true reaction but the numbers joining in with the call and response and moshpit was considerably higher at the end of the set than at the start so that must be considered positive for the band.

With balloons filled with confetti bursting over the crowd and the band promising to come back as soon and as often as possible, its unlikely that this will be the last heard of Madina Lake on these shores.