For the second time in a few short days I was at a gig where the band I was there to see looked pretty out of place on the lineup. The show before this was Crobot opening for Black Label Society at The Institute. Tonight though it's Landscapes popped onto a bill containing Decade and The Used.

 

After turning up a bit late due to some horrendous traffic it appeared that Landscapes had been and gone. I was under the impression that they were opening the show and when Decade took to the stage I thought that was it, the band I was there to see came and went. Decade were a bit of a surprise package for me. A band that I was unfamiliar with, but very similar in style to the tour's headliners, The Used. Pumped full of energy they lads took to their set well and provided a near perfect warm up for the rest of the evening. In fact, they were that good an opening band they almost made me forget that the horrible beer I was holding in a plastic receptical cost me £4.50. One thing I will say though, to push on frontman Alex Sears needs to become more comfortable when not singing. Myles Kennedy has a similar problem when not singing for Alter Bridge, coming across as awkward at times. A minor issue, not one that affected my enjoyment of these guys and certainly not something that will stop me catching them again.

 

Anyway, on to headliners The Used. Wrong, for some reason everything on this show seemed to be running a bit behind my expected schedule. Sunday gigs are normally sewn up nice and early. Not this one though, 20 minutes after Decade vacated the stage, Landscapes took to it. Much to my surprise and relief.

 

Now, this was a hard set for Landscapes. Their brand of melodic hardcore was always going to be a tricky sell in front of a crowd that were gagging for The Used. As it turned out it was even harder than I imagined. They brought the energy and they brought a stage presence that more established bands would be proud of, but they struggled to get the crowd interested. Vocalist Shaun Milton did his absolute best, but sometimes you just have to get on with the show and hope people come round. Musically they were on top form and that was evident from the appreciation that the crowd gave them after each song, it just seemed like they were a bit scared of getting involved. Never was this better exemplified than during Milton's little walk through the crowd. Never have I seen a crowd split quicker than it did when they realised he might get near them. A couple of slaps on the back was as close as he got to contact with the audience (he was even left hanging when trying to high five someone...poor show Birmingham!).

 

Landscapes can be proud of their performance, it moved me from being a follower to being a fan and I wasn't the only one. The murmourings from the crowd were positive, it just had the feeling of an early morning festival set - no one quite sure whether they're going to like what's coming, but wanting to give it a go. 

 

It was pretty obvious what the crowd were there for as soon as they started setting up for The Used. Everytime someone ventured onto the stage they were greeted by a cheer and applause. A very novice crowd all round. Luckily The Used didn't disappoint. Their set encorporated tracks from throughout their extensive back catalogue and they were all greeted with adulation from the crowd ranging in age from around 14 to well past 40. A fantastic live band and a thoroughly enjoyable set throughout (so long as you take their rantings of quitting your job and starting a revolution with a pinch of salt!). The Used appear to be well and truly back and helping support up and coming British bands while they're at it.