The Blackout - Camden Electric Ballroom, 10.02.2008

It is clear from the queue of people lining a freshly burnt Camden High Street two hours before the doors open that the headline band tonight have extremely dedicated fans. It is a shame then, that the first band on, Attack! Attack!, are not very well received for their largely energetic set, with more people preferring to sit in the bar instead. A half - hearted circle pit for all of 30 seconds shows just what the crowd think of the band, and you can’t help but feel sorry for them as they leave the stage half an hour later.

It is just as well then that San Diego four- piece, My American Heart, have the right songs to get a crowd excited, and by the end of their set, the whole place is moving in time to their sunny pop- rock.

However, nothing can beat the level of anticipation of an excited crowd waiting for tonight’s headliners, Welsh sextet The Blackout, to hit the stage. Chants of “We Are The Dynamite!”, the title of their fun- filled latest album, are bouncing around the small room ten minutes before they hit the stage, and when they do finally appear, it’s like fireworks being let off. Frontman Sean Smith, equally as excited as the crowd, bounds around the stage, loving the attention the dedicated fans are giving him as they sing every word back to him.

Playing old and new songs alike, it is clear that this is a band who are genuinely happy to be where they are, and genuinely thankful to their fans for putting them there. From fan favourite I Know What You Are, But What Am I? - a song dedicated to all the girls in the audience tonight, to the slower, more atmospheric ‘Life And Death In Space’, this is a band that know how to keep a crowd happy. Not once do the audience tire from their energetic dancing, from the front row, to the mosh pit, right to the very back of the small, packed room.

However, it is only when Lostprophets’ frontman Ian Watkins makes a surprise appearance to sing his part on new single It’s High Tide, Baby! that the crowd truly go wild, with girls and boys alike throwing themselves stageward over others in the audience just to be that little bit closer to the star.

As the boys leave the stage tonight after first single Hard Slammin, it is clear the audience want more, as mixed chants of “One more song!” and “We Are The Dynamite!” start up once again. The boys gladly oblige and run back on stage, Smith having even more energy than he did to start with, launching themselves into their ultimate Blackout party anthem, I’m A Riot? You’re A Fucking Riot!

This band clearly are a riot, as are the crowd, who all leave tonight with happy, if not more than slightly sweaty faces, proud of their band who have once again not failed to deliver an astonishing set. A riot, indeed.