EMO is a funny term isn’t it? It’s come a long way from its 1980s origins, where it was used to describe a certain screamy/shouty/ra-ra-ra punk scene. These days it is mainly used to describe a class of better dressed Goths, their floppy fringes and even their stripy purple and black (cotton) socks, ah bless them. It’s no wonder that today’s ‘EMO’ bands vehemently reject the label.  Whatever your views on said bastardised term, here we have the current popular heads of the current EMO dynasty: FFAF accompanied by Busted's Charlie Simpson and those other blokes that constantly follow him around. Rock on!

We all know the big fuss that was made over poor old Fightstar, we all thought that it would be the biggest flop of 2005. However Charlie and the boys have constantly proved their metal: tonight’s set is a further testament to how wrong we all were. Although most of the band stays fairly static, Charlie maintains the band's momentum, constantly thrashing his golden locks in a true rock stylee: he is surprisingly charismatic. The tunes are nearly all there too; picking out the standout tracks from 2006’s Grand Unification, in particular last single ‘Waste a Moment’, the album’s title track and ‘Paint Your Target’ which gets the audience participation you would expect from a headlining act. However it’s not all that rosy; current single ‘Hazy Eyes’ does have a wiff of the old Nickleback to it, and the fact that Charlie remains the sole focus of the band is a tad disappointing.

Funeral for a Friend have been around from five years now, and have accomplished an iron-cast fan base, two acclaimed albums, seven top 20 singles and a sycophantic relationship with Fightstar (cumulating with a cover of a recent FFAF single on their next single – yuck!). Tonight FFAF do their usual as rock solid UK riff-monsters, and have that friendly vibe that only Foo Fighters can top. It’s all there with classic tracks ‘Juneau’ and ‘Bullet Theory’, getting the crowd’s juices flowing; they are just truly awe-inspiring.

But you can’t just help thinking that the bulk of the chosen tunes sound shockingly similar; the inclusion of ‘Roses for the Dead’, ‘Recovery’ and ‘All the Rage’, creates a feeling of déja-vu, not to mention that at times many songs effortlessly merge into a larger-than-bite size lump. However, by the time Matt Davis launches himself into the frenzied crowed for the second time, during the immense ‘Escape Artists Never Die’, you can forgive certain minor flaws such as the lack of track by track variation.

So, there we have it. EMO may be a redundant label used by people that don’t have a clue, but the bands that are unfortunate enough to be described by a term that has no useful meaning are actually jolly good kick-ass rock – not EMO, OK?
Fightstar (3/5)
Funeral for A Friend (4/5)

Check for Live Dates