Expectations were high tonight due to the impressive line ups of the Kerrang Tour in previous years, combined with tonight being the first Birmingham show Limp Bizkit have played since reforming in 2009. Kicking off the show was Baby Godzilla [2] with what could only be described as noise. While they had a lot of energy, constantly jumping around the stage and running about, however the distinct lack of musical ability caused their set to be a waste of time.
Next up was folk metal act Nekrogoblikon [4] with their only novelty being that they have a goblin on stage with them who dances while they play. Musically they were a step up from Baby Godzilla, however the total lack of the crowd knowing them, unsurprisingly considering the show was headlined by a Nu-Metal act, really hindered the band. The banter on stage was good at parts but the songs were bland and didn’t stand out. Continuing the trend of the weird booking of this gig, Japanese Rave-Metallers Crossfaith [8] were next. Opening the set with the one-two of ‘We Are The Future’ followed by ‘Jaegerbomb’ didn’t quite kick off the set how they would of hoped due to technical problems. However once it was fixed, the set was fantastic; in particular their cover of ‘Omen’ went down a storm. With the recording of a new album about to start, there is definite excitement surrounding the band for the next year or two.
In their first Birmingham show in almost 10 years, Limp Bizkit [7] stormed on stage with ‘9 Teen 90 Nine’ which was a popular choice. However the selection of playing ‘Full Nelson’, ‘Gold Cobra’ and ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ really spoilt the set. The fact that those songs were picked over classics such as ‘Counterfeit’, ‘Show Me What You Got’ and ‘Take A Look Around’ was a shame. However very few bands around can match Limp Bizkit for set closers with modern classics in the form of ‘Nookie’ and ‘Break Stuff’. While the songs haven’t aged terribly and the set was good, Limp Bizkit are firmly on the decline and a nostalgia act now that is a shame.
Words by Sam Taylor, Pictures by Jodie Cunningham
