Before I even entered the venue - the doors of which were not open yet due to delays - the ears (and eyes) of me and my friend Joanne were assaulted by a pink drag racer car bombing up and down the small lane beside the building. For what reason, we could not understand. It was a relief, therefore, that we were finally able to go inside - along with the fact that for an April evening the wind was blowing quite cold.
Inside, we chilled in the bar (I without an alcoholic drink, as I am staying sober at least until my course deadline day of May 23rd). Only when we heard some heavy guitars rip to life did we decide to make our way towards the stage. Here we were met with the first support act, Manipulated who, despite the small crowd (no more than 15 people), managed to command the room with their intense riffs and eerie instrumental intros, reminding me Metallica and Killswitch Engage in one go. One guitarist experienced a few difficulties part way through, but the bassist and singer (also on guitar) picked up the slack easily so that I barely noticed. It was a shame to see them leave the stage so quickly.
My friend and I took a short break outside for some air, only to discover a guy swearing at a fence and apparently looking to pick a fight with a small crowd of smokers. Weird.
When the second support act, The Mishits, arrived on stage, I didn't know what to make of them; their three members didn't quite seem to fit visually. The drummer was a punky girl with Jack-o-lantern face paint, the primary vocalist and guitarist a larger guy who could've just as easily been playing a banjo, and the bassist, who perhaps fit better than other two into the style they played. It felt very heavy punk, with tinges of Blink 182 and, surprisingly, my dear friend Ben's band, Eight Days (during their transition phase away from pop-punk and into hardcore). The bass was the dominant sound through most of their set, the harsh scuzzy kind which overrode his partner (I am not complaining, however, because it sounded pretty sweet). For all of their incongruity, though, I had to admit the vocals of both guys gelled very well in the rare moments they sang together and they did improve as they worked through their set (with lyrics like 'I want your skull'?). Overall, a bit of a Mishit, I'd say (sorry).
We were definitely impatient for Korn Again at this point. The roadies brought in the replica of Jonathan Davis' famous mic stand under a cloth, and the bassist was the first one stage, looking a lot like 'Fieldy' himself. He was soon followed by a guitarist attempting a resemblance to 'Head' and soon all but the singer himself were in place. Stephen Emerson (singer) joins them in a sequined tracksuit, looking a lot like the man himself, moments later, and they launch into It's On!. Classics Right Now, Falling Away From Me, and A.D.I.D.A.S. follow, before the floor begins to vibrate with I know not what manner of bass to introduce Dead Bodies Everywhere. Throughout, Stephen was channeling everything into the signature crazed energy of Jonathan Davis, it was no wonder he needed to take a moment between songs. After Good God, he disappeared backstage, reappearing with - yes - the BAGPIPES for Shoots and Ladders. It was song after song, small mosh pit kept waking up in front of the stage, and I genuinely didn't want it to end. They had Faget, Clown, Here to Stay, Need To (perhaps not with as much visceral energy in the screamed 'why's as JD manages but he made an effort), Make Me Bad (always a favourite of mine), Freak on a Leash (where it all began for me), Y'All Want a Single (with the command to raise your middle fingers high), Ball Tongue, and Blind to finish (or so we thought). There were calls for 'one more song', to which Korn Again obliged with my rollercoaster track, Got the Life.
Perfect, huh?
