FRIDAY ROUND UP

After a destructive Thursday night you could practically taste the collective hangover in the Lock Up tent. The apparent antidote: a can of Relentless and a dosage of hardcore punk in the form of Ghost of a Thousand. Their outstanding drummer’s tribal opening rhythm blew away any cobwebs, launching them into an angry barrage of sheer energy – think Metallica with circle pits replacing mammoth guitar solos. The highlight of their set New Toy screamed and thrashed its way through an exciting 4 minutes, standing out in an exceptional performance.

Their competition came from the main stage in the form of emo-rappers Gym Class Heroes, protégés of Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, and Hellogoodbye, who were surprisingly well received despite a mass of tedious Daft Punk imitations lacing their own electric dance-pop.

"Who invited the Canadians?" squeaked lead vocalist Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent, jesting with the audience. The Vancouver rockers were a hidden gem among today’s main stage lineup, drawing intrigued punters with the fantastic Muse-esque Devil in a Midnight Mass. Excitement really started to build towards the end of their phenomenal set, particularly for Try Honesty and Red Flag, a protest against the leaders of today screwing up the world for its next generation of inhabitants.

The Used faced the particularly easy task of connecting with the rebellious teenagers: "Everybody stick your middle fingers in the air…this is for your mom, your dad, your school teachers…", however knowing their audience paid off. Singles such as The Bird and The Worm and Pretty Handsome Awkward gave the kids what they wanted, songs about being scared and alone in the world and getting angry with authority. Their catchy tuneful lite-metal is extremely easy to listen to, lyrically it’s not particularly cheerful but some laid back guitar melodies provide a shimmer of light.

Steve McCaul