Alaskan nu-metallers 36 Crazyfists find time to include Oxford on a brief UK tour between supporting Funeral For A Friend and playing this year’s Download festival. Although forced to play downstairs by Graham Coxon, the show’s obviously well-anticipated given the sell-out crowd.

Hotly tipped Welsh rockers Bullet For My Valentine are charged with keeping the crowd entertaining before the headliners, and they do a reasonable job. They lack the obvious sing-a-long choruses of compatriots like FFAF and Lost Prophets though, and personally I don’t see what the fuss is about. They’re noisy, heads nod appreciatively, a perfectly adequate support band, but still some way short of headlining themselves.

36 Crazyfists themselves show how it should be done. Opening with the best song from their latest album (‘At The End of August’) and closing with the best from their first (‘Slit Wrist Theory’) and barely letting up in between, it’s one of the most intense shows I’ve seen in ages. Thankfully frontman Brock isn’t tied by guitar duties, so spends half his time leaning over the crowd, dripping sweat, offering the microphone to packed ranks of fans and launching himself into the on-stretched hands three times.

The band drop in a couple of favourites from their debut, but highlights come mainly from A Snow-Capped Romance, in the shape of ‘Kenai’, ‘Bloodwork’, ‘The Heart & The Shape’ and ‘Destroy The Map’, joined by the Bullet For My Valentine singer. All are received enthusiastically by a crowd packed like sardines near the front of the stage and singing every word. I never thought 36 CF stood out from the crowd much – not the worst of the generic nu-metal crowd by far, but not particularly special. This show proved that they are a great live band though. If you like their albums, you have to catch their gigs.
(4/5)

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