Give It A Name 2008 Selected Acts Earls Court London     MC Lars Side Stage, Saturday A late confirmation to the line up, and after many weeks of speculation, the US Laptop Rapper appears on the small stage with friends Fail Safe for a surprisingly good performance. Donning each others branded merchandise and squeezing onto the small platform, Lars and Co. have the crowd hyped from the start. The rhyming, industry critical, MySpace star spits his punchy flows into the mic with an ease that was previously thought to only be a creation of Pro Tools. His lines are comical, but his words are truthful. Not many artists tell the risky tale of music industry realisms; afraid that they would be hunted down by the men in grey suits for spilling their secrets. MC Lars has the large audience bouncing to his beats and many a mouth singing along to his tongue in cheek lyrics. His Iggy Pop samples and crowd communication keeps the energy high throughout this light hearted set. An all round, unexpected, piece of fun in the afternoon’s small stage charades. My American Heart Side Stage, Saturday Don’t be fooled by this bands innocent image; those eyes would do more than melt the coldest heart. The young, newly subtracted four piece take to the stage. The sound that erupts through the speakers is unexpectedly heavier than the bands small stature suggests. The deep growl of the bass player’s instrument dominates the air. His commanding stage presence is captivating, and the edgy rocker inside his heart is itching to escape. The same can be said for his fellow players, but not their tiny front man. His quiet vocals are drowned out by their enthusiasm, and his small stature is a little lost on even the smallest stage. No matter though as the crowd are more than happy to fill in the lines you cannot hear. Clearly already having gained fans on their tour with The Blackout at the beginning of the year; My American Heart have returned and maybe added a few more to that list.   Set Your Goals Main Stage, Saturday Throw all the bands on the line up today in a pit, swirl them together, and there you have it; Set Your Goals. A confusing mixture of emo, punk, rock and metal. This band were meant to blow your brains out with their genre clash filing your every pore. They were meant to. Bland in sight, bland in sound, and bland in stature. Set Your Goals, today, are the complete opposite of everything they’re meant to be. It may have been just an off day, or the effects of a hard nights drinking, but, this performance is rather lacking in, well, everything. With very little movement on the very large stage, it didn’t seem that any of the five members took more than five steps throughout their set. The same was not said for the once large crowd, who took their now spare 30 minutes to by merch from Mayday Parade or one of the more enthusiastic bands.   Finch Main Stage, Saturday The atmosphere has shifted, tension fills the air, and anticipation hangs heavy. Blue light beams across the stage. The crowd hold their breath as the first notes are blasted from the stacked speakers. Feeding off the crowds ecstatic reactions; front man Nate Barcalow falls across the stage with a crazed look in his eye. On a high as he watches kids falling over the front barrier. Piercing through their old, intensely loved tracks such as Letters to You and What it is To Burn. He is barely able to speak in between songs; completely engulfed by the experience of their return to British shores. We are sampled one new song. The sounds are more involved than tracks of previous days. Layered and musically complex; the track reflects the Finch we fell in love with, rather than the Finch that left us. Powerful, fierce and a welcoming step up; Finch are back from the dead and here to stay.   Envy on the Coast Main Stage, Sunday Pushing his bare feet across the stage, front man Ryan Hunter puts one foot up on the front speakers and leans towards the audience. As he prowls forward his knees stick out the holes in is jeans and his short dreads cover his eyes. He flinches to the beat, and pulses to the hard hitting notes of Sugar Skulls. Edgy, gruff, gritty rock, with catchy choruses and pounding stomps. Envy on the Coast put on an intense, fascinating and strangely sexy show. The songs are harsh and powerful, the notes heavy. This band has to be one of the biggest, most pleasant surprises of the weekend.   You Me At Six Small Stage, Sunday You would never think that just a year ago this band were rough, awkward, and unknown. Now there is a wild mass of frenetic female energy screaming for the boy band of the moment. I love you Josh, I love you Josh. The front mans cheeky smile backstage says it all; he’s loving it. The lights lower, and in the style of past tour mates The Audition, You Me At Six build up the tension with an orchestral sample. The high pitched screams are deafening as the five teens step onto the stage. Brimming with confidence and a twinge of arrogance, the boys play through their tried and tested set list. Every word memorised by the thousands strong crowd in front of them. The reception You Me At Six receive is incredible, especially when you consider they are still to release an album and don’t even have a record deal yet. Two huge pits form in the crowd as fans go crazy to Save It for the Bedroom. The bands movements are a lot more natural than previous forced performances; they are starting to find themselves rather than looking to other bands for stage moves. Each member rushes about with inexhaustible energy. Little guitarist Max even gets told off as he tries to climb the speaker stacks. Their 30 minutes come to a close with the anthemic Rumours, and the crowd are left begging for more, but their pleas are left unfulfilled as the show must move on.   The Blackout Main Stage, Sunday Freshly back from a long US tour, the Welsh rockers are ready and raring to shake up some British soil. We are the dy-na-mite. We are the dy-na-mite. The loud chants beckon the band on stage and the lustful feminine screams are louder than ever. Sean Smith’s golden locks beam in the spotlight as he steps onto the front speakers, his fellow vocalist Gavin stands by his side. Each take it in turn to scream, shout, and pound through I Know You Are But What Am I and Spread Legs Not Lies. The Blackout’s passionate energy extends into the audience, and the entire arena Shakes Those Hips. In a swift pop turn around, High Tide Baby has a whole lot of Wo-oh, Wo-oh’s and is then roughly followed by The Fuel Girls complimentary appearance. They fail to ignite anything and cause little stir during I’m a Riot.... Truer words could not be said better than Justin Beck; Pour kerosene over them and light them on fire. After this performance, The Blackout’s domination is now one step closer to completion.   Glassjaw Main Stage, Sunday A green and white flag is draped at the back of the stage; the drum kit is placed to the right and a pulpit in the centre. The lighting is low and the air is misty. Tension hangs heavy, hearts beat fast, breaths are held and seconds are counted. The four Glassjaw members calmly walk onto the stage, taking their positions for this incredibly rare performance. Front man Daryl Palumbo pours out tracks such as You Think You're John Fucking Lennon and Siberian Kiss with effortless intensity. His fellow band members tight with each sound; Manny and Durijah fitting perfectly into the bands make up, their musical talents are second to none. Guitarist Justin Beck plays with confident ease as his body swings to the sounds with arrogant waves. The floor is rammed with curious fans and foes alike. The side of the stage filled with every other band on the line up, including Kids in Glass Houses Aled who hits every drum beat and lyric in time with his clear idols. This is a unique sight, this set and style is not one that can be found with any other band. The young crowd are not quite sure what to make of the tones they here or the minimalist movements they see. They remain quite still during the set, only tiny pits form, and the expected mass of bodies over the barrier fail to appear. Glassjaw’s brilliance may have gone over the heads of some, is possibly still being worked out by others, and for the rest their genius rings clearly through. There is no faulting these all to brief 30 minutes.   Billy Talent Main Stage, Sunday Large bold white letters fill the backdrop, spelling out the bands name. The spotlight illuminates the large stage, and the four members of Canada’s Billy Talent take their places for the beginning of their fiercely intense set. Front man Ben’s unique vocals buzz through the ears of the large, pounding crowd as he sings through Devil in a Midnight Mass, Line and Sinker and recent hit Red Flag. His arms exaggerating each word he sings. He leans low over the front speakers staring into his full audience. Lead guitarist Ian plays with the same vehement energy, speaking the sounds he plays through his movements, holding to himself as much of the spotlight as the singer. Familiar to large crowds, Billy Talent know how to stretch their music and presence to the end of even the biggest venue, and at no point do they falter, shake or lower their force. Their fifteen years in the industry have been spent perfecting their craft, and honing their skills. Developing their fan base, and building their success story one hit album at a time. There are no signs of them stopping, and there is no evidence, especially from this pent up crowd, that anyone wants them to.