First on tonight was The Zico Chain, whose music can only be described as ‘nu-metal’, I guess. All their songs are incredibly predictable and dull as they continuously and monotonously use the same hammered on guitar riff and drum break. And since ‘nu-metal’ was a genre always known for not being very good, the fact that it’s been out of fashion for nearly five years makes it all the more embarrassing to listen to. That said, their performance cannot be flawed. They’re a very tight live act and sounds levels wise, spot on. But you can’t help but think that they’re five years late and, unlike Reuben who’ve intelligently and successfully re-visited nu-metal and grunge in great form, don’t really look like they’re going anywhere with it.

Next on then were Chicago post-metallers Pelican who seem to be on a never ending tour, particularly as they’re now about to fly back to the states and do the massive ‘Taste of Chaos’ tour with bands such as Deftones for the next couple of months. Still, Pelican look incredibly fresh and excited to be playing when technically they should have collapsed from fatigue by now. And, not only that, but they seem to be getting tighter as a live act as their never ending tour goes on, as this set shows with colossal conviction. They play full of energy and pride with overwhelming confidence and sound; it is a very powerful performance.

The wonderful thing about Pelican is that they never let their music get boring. They always keep the listener on edge and interested, as this set proves with tracks like ‘Autumn into Summer’. And by the time of finale ‘Mammoth’, the whole room is collectively transfixed by their set and respond with one almighty headbang, I’m sure the band had to watch their footing a few times due to the almighty force of the crowd’s reaction; and it’s all thanks to Pelican’s superb set.

Another thing worth mentioning about all the bands here tonight is that, they all look extremely happy to be playing and morale is clearly massive with this tour. Both support acts thank Cave In for bringing them on tour very sincerely, which shows how good of a time they are clearly having. And Cave In themselves mention early in their set how excited they are to be playing a sold-out London show, and it’s soon clear how much as their play with great confidence and exuberant energy. Cave In are clearly on top form tonight as they mix all of their sounds effortlessly, in a way it seems, only they can. They manage to create a superb atmosphere for each piece without being alienating; despite how different some of the songs are to each other. When they go heavy, like on new song ‘Dead Already’ it feels like an intimate and passionate hardcore show given the electrifying anger in their performance. Whereas, when they want to go spacey, like on ‘Innuendo and the other’ the mood is captured perfectly in wonderfully atmospheric style that some strictly post-rock bands would be jealous of. Highlight of the set definitely goes to ‘Big Riff’ though which collides a variety of different moods and sounds into one monolith of a track, blending detuned guitars and wonderful vocals from Brodsky, who is donning a rather large beard tonight, showing the power of the track.

Cave In also keep a fantastic flow throughout their set by including excellent instrumentals which borderline Jazz and Rock; just another element to Cave In’s impressive range. Encore ‘Juggernaut’ absolutely slayed as they combine all their aforementioned styles in a fantastic climax to the night.

It is still a shame though that tracks like ‘Anchor’, a very dark piece of music, despite its mainstream acclaim, are left out though. It’s not as if it would have ruined the energy of Cave In’s set and it seems a shame that they’re almost completely ignoring ‘Antenna’. What they did play cannot be faulted though, particularly with Ben Koller at the helm of the rhythm section, who is every bit as enchanting and menacing to witness live as you would hope from listening to his work. His long-ish hair and creepy Charles Manson Esq. smile give a whole terrifying and nervous edge to the performance as he blasts through fast and technical rhythms without breaking a sweat.

And as a whole, Cave In created an exciting and memorable performance which was guaranteed to have the whole audience smiling by the end of the night; and that’s exactly what tonight did.