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| Hard Rock Calling 2012 | ||
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12th - 14th Jul 2012 Hyde Park, Park Lane, London, W2 2UH, United Kingdom |
Tickets from £0.00 |
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Hard Rock Calling 2012 Friday Review
Having seen and heard the threat that the weather had placed of the series of summer concerts at Hyde Park, it was with great relief to finally see the gates opening. Friday is becoming the heavier of the days for HRC and this year was no exception.
Kids in Glass Houses started proceedings on the main stage, the Welsh rockers quickly found their rhythm and although the crowd that had gathered before them was quite small they were really enjoying the music. Front man Aled Phillips joins the crowd in the rain for ‘Youngblood’ by using the elaborate stage staircases. The band save their biggest songs for last. ‘Saturday’ gives way to ‘Matters At All’ and as the band make their way off stage the crowd head for the bar very happy indeed.
Next up on the main stage are Black Stone Cherry with their own unique style of hard southern rock the band launch into ‘Maybe Someday’ which pleases the huge crowd gathered before them. Guitarist Ben Wells seems to cover every inch of the massive stage during every song, his energy levels never take a dip as the band roar through some of their best songs. ‘Yeah Man’, ‘Soul Creek’, ‘In My Blood’ and new single ‘Like I Roll’ bring the best out of the crowd and as lead singer Chris Robertson breaks into Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ the crowd are encouraged to sing along before the band quickly change key and ‘Blame it on the Boom Boom’ fills the arena. As the set draws to a close their first single ‘Lonely Train’ gives the crowd a final sing-a-long as well as wanting more.
Skindred have won numerous awards for their live shows and judging on the size of the crowd that have gathered in the Pepsi Max Tent, word is starting to get about. Launching into ‘Roots, Rock, Riot’ the band set out their stall early, front man Benji Webb demands the audience bounce, sing and move and they duly obey. ‘Ratrace’ is quickly followed by the huge sounding ‘Stand For Something’ which the crowd seem to know every word. Taking some of their influences from the giants of the metal world, Metallica, Slayer & Slipknot all get a bit of the “Skindred treatment” and with the final song of the set ‘Warning’ comes the inevitable ‘Newport Helicopter’. Undoubtedly the highlight of a fantastic set.
Iggy & the Stooges have been around for decades and tonight’s performance will go down as one of their best. With one of the most recognisable torso’s in the business, Iggy prances and jumps about the stage as if he were still 16 (only a little slower than he used too). ‘Raw Power’, ‘1970’ and ‘Fun House’ give the ever expanding crowd a taste of what life was like at a Stooges gig in the early 70’s. ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ explodes into life as Iggy conducts the audience. With his punk rock drawl, ‘No Fun’, ‘Kill City’ and ‘Open Up & Bleed’ make up the later part of the set and as the band disappear into the early evening doom and gloom of Hyde Park, the audience know they have witnessed something special from a band that spurned a movement long before it was invented. Who says punk is dead?
Tonight’s main attraction has been a long time coming. 1996 was the last time Soundgarden played in London and this newly reformed band is back just at the right time. Chris Cornell and the rest of the band are back where they belong, on a huge stage with a huge crowd before them. ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed’ is a great opener setting the pace for the rest of the evening. ‘Spoonman’, ‘Gun’, ‘Jesus Christ Pose’ and the bands biggest hit ‘Black Hole Sun’ quickly follow, with the huge screens showing everything in black and white. It is almost as if we are taken back in time. As the rain starts again, it fails to dampen the spirit of the audience as they have their heroes back on stage. ‘Fell on Black Days’, ‘Ugly Truth’ and ‘My Wave’ get the best out of Chris Cornell’s voice. As the night draws to a close the band save their best for last ‘Superunknown’ & ‘4th Of July’ make way for the encore of ‘Rusty Cage’ & ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’ and with that the band are gone and we all wonder how and why they have been away so long.
