Alien Ant Farm

Initially lumped in with the ‘nu metal’ scene in the early ’00s, Alien Ant Farm stood apart due to their hook-filled album ‘ANThology’ featuring 13 anthemic pop songs. The band admirably chose to play this in its entirety (despite releasing a new album last year) and the ’90s-raised crowd responded to such generosity with youthful exuberance. Frontman Dryden Mitchell charismatically stared down the crowd in one moment, then shared funny Oedipal anecdotes in another. Drummer Mike Cosgrove employed some impressive techniques and fills, particularly during ‘Attitude’ and the single guitar and bass created a tight, focused dynamic. Although many fans would have been happy with the fun, purely nostalgic set, AAF could have perhaps been more confident towards the end and tried out newer material for a more rounded evening.

Concorde 2, 21 January 2016

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