Initially this gig was not on my radar, I’d booked a few days in London months before and then the gig came up and I was in two minds about attending.  By the end of the night I was very glad I did.  First time I’ve been to the Astoria, been to Astoria 2 on a number of occasions and not overly impressed with that venue.  Beer is expensive, especially the cans and I’ve never heard a good sound in there yet, but we’re talking about a bigger venue tonight and hopefully the beer will be better and the sound will do justice to both bands.  Unfortunately it’s another early start, 6.30pm because there’s a curfew of 10.20pm (G.A.Y. have one of their disco nights arranged, oh joy!).   

I must apologise for the next bit of ranting, but I’m bloody well fed up with venues such as the Academy, Astoria, Rock City etc and their curfews.  Bands having to start and finish early because the cash cow of rock nights, discos etc has to take precedence.  Considering most of these venues have finishing times of 3 and 4 am it’s not out of the realms of feasibility to keep to a reasonable start time is it?.  This would help those fans who actually have jobs and a curfew causes problems if a band has to cut their set short due to technical problems etc, leaving the fans short-changed.  It seems like venues are now taking the piss out of live music fans and just don’t even get me started about booking fees and postage charges on tickets!!! OK rant over, gig time. 

I turned up outside the Astoria at 6.30 pm, lo and behold we have a queue that snakes around the block.  They had just started letting people in so I decide to dive into a local hostelry for a beer or two.  I wandered into the venue just as Epica hit the stage.  I’ve got the new cd but haven’t had much chance to listen to it closely.  I recognised a couple of songs from it but couldn’t remember titles, I apologise profusely.  What I do remember is that the band were on top form.  Simone Simons worked the crowd and her vocals were spot on. 

Instead of little girls listening and watching Girls Aloud, Sugababes and auditioning for fucking Pop Idol, they should be listening to Simone Simons, Tarja, Annette Olson etc, forming their own bands and writing original songs! 

The band used the space they had on stage, the keyboards were on a swivelly podium and there were electric fans strategically positioned so the band members hair looked good even when they were static.  The sound was really good for a support act, the death grunts weren’t overpowering, Simone’s vocals came across beautifully, a beefy guitar sound, thundering bass and drums and the keys sat clearly in the mix.  The crowd gave each song the applause it deserved and I think a few people were converted tonight.  If you haven’t seen them before, check em’ out the next time they come over. 

And so to the main event, Symphony X.  Now I haven’t heard any of their material but I had been told by those who’d seen them on the Dream Theater tour, they were a band to check out.  The anticipation among the crowd was palpable before they came on and as the intro kicked and the band ambled on stage, the crowd went nuts.  Russell Allen is a vocalist par excellence and Michael Romeo is a phenomenal guitarist.  First song in and the crowd are singing the chorus.  It’s a fairly mixed crowd as well, there were young guys, older guys, metalheads, one or two goths and the 3 girls stood next to me who looked like they should be at a Kaiser Chiefs gig, were barely 20 years old and yet they know all the words!  I feel like a heavy metal novice. 

Russell Allen has a fantastic interaction with the crowd and by the 2nd song he had them eating from the palm of his hand.  It crossed my mind that what I was hearing sounded fresh and vibrant, reminiscent of how early DT shows, transfer your allegiance now, resistance is futile.  Throughout the show Russell Allen kept signalling stage right and bottles of water would cascade through the air, which he would catch one-handed and throw into the crowd.  He must thrown about 3 dozen bottles into the crowd and he only dropped one all night!!! Get the man on the England cricket team quick!!!   

They played a few songs off the new cd and the reaction was amazing.  It seemed the crowd knew them all and sang along.  'Revelations' from the new cd got one of the best reactions and will probably become a staple in the live set.  The sound was possibly the best I’ve heard in the last 12 months.  The guitars were big with sonic solos, powerful vocals and a pounding drum sound to shake the fillings in your teeth.   

All too soon 10.20 pm came around, Symphony X had played for an hour and fifty minutes, the 3 girls next to me were still craving more.  This was a masterclass in progressive power metal.  The dates with DT last year have given them a higher profile and although the Astoria may not have been sold out, it wasn’t far off.  Those in attendance can have no complaints tonight, they were thoroughly entertained and sent home with the expectation of more to come in future.   

Now I’m on holiday, so it’s time to continue the party, just not in this venue so it’s thank you and goodnight.