Give It A Name 2008 - Sheffield Arena - Sheffield, UK - 5.10.08-5.11.08
Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 05.14.2008
The UK's first big rock festival of the year sees 30 Seconds To Mars, Glassjaw, Paramore, Plain White T's and more get thousands of fans bouncing.
Either the quality of the bill of the Give It A Name festival, now in it’s fourth year, has rapidly declined, or the rise of some of the young headliners has been more dramatic than even I thought. When they played the event last year, Paramore were a highlight on the side stage but with the very successful Riot! album under their belt, they find themselves headlining one of the UK’s biggest rock festivals. 30 Seconds To Mars are the other headliners, and were looking to give us a big performance before hitting the studio to record the follow-up to 2005’s A Beautiful Lie.
Opening up the main stage of a festival is always a difficult task, as Envy on the Coast manage to prove. With the place only half full at this point, no one seems into their cookie-cutter set, so I leave half way through to see The Mexicolas on the second stage. Musically, it’s not like the Mexicolas are up to much more than Envy on the Coast but the place is packed and bouncing. They’re into it and it’s a great start to the show. Envy on the Coast: 3.0
The Mexicolas: 7.5
The atmosphere around the second stage remains for Four Year Strong, who are playing their very first UK show. They pick up where The Mexicolas left off, and it would appear that they already have a huge following, because every single word is sung back to the band in unison from the enthralled audience. At this point you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking the second stage holds the biggest attractions because if the end of Strike Anywhere’s set is any indication, things really haven’t got going on the main stage; that is, until Welsh rockers The Blackout come and do their thing, and suddenly the main stage is the only place to be in the world right now. These guys are going to be huge. They’ve received a lot of hype and it would appear as though they have the hooks to back it up. Their set is tight and their melodies are huge and they’ve got the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand. Packed with energy and aggression, The Blackout make for an early highlight. Four Year Strong: 8.0
Strike Anywhere: 5.5
The Blackout: 9.0
Silverstein are the first band to offer something a little different on the main stage, with their screamo antics inciting some of the biggest circle pits of the weekend, but they don’t offer much in the way of good live music. The return of Glasjaw, however, is a different story. They open their set and the crowd are going ape shit with glee. And from there the band only shift up through the gears. But I can’t stay because I’ve got to catch You Me At Six on the other stage, and it’s no doubt a performance worth catching. The last year has been incredible for these guys and they are very much on the verge of becoming the next big pop-rockers. The second stage is really to small a canvas to paint their magic. Save it For The Bedroom and If I Were In Your Shoes have the audience in a near frenzy and front man Josh Francecshi handles them brilliantly with his witty banter and incoherent rambling. They love it. Silverstein: 6.5
Glassjaw: 8.5
You Me At Six: 9.5
Having been somewhat out of the limelight for the last eighteen months or so, Billy Talent don’t get the kind of reception they’re us to when they first come on stage so it’s up to them to pull the crowd back on side and in all honesty, they don’t do a great job. The audience sings along to the big hits like Red Flag and Devil in a Midnight Mass but other than a few select moments like that, the crowd are content to listen intently without getting too invested in the performance. Billy Talent: 6.5
Perhaps they’re waiting for the headliners. 30 Seconds To Mars hit the stage and the place is suddenly electric. Opening with an incredible rendition of A Beautiful Lie, 30STM live is everything they’re studio performances and music videos suggest they are; a massive band with massive melodies, ridiculously big choruses and a front man loaded with charisma. Jared Leto leads the band through their set with a slickness and style that is unmatched on day one and the fans are lapping it up. The performance lives up the anticipation as Leto’s voices carries tremendously well and the crowd is left at the end of the first day feeling like they’ve just witnessed one of the biggest live shows they’ll ever see. 30 Seconds To Mars: 10
Is it just me, or does it seem like once you get up the next morning, there seems to be a ton of chicks walking around with orange hair streaked with yellow? It’s all in participation for this evening’s headliners Paramore. Everyone you talk to seems to be here for them and them only and no one else is interest in talking about the likes of Chiodos, who open the main stage on Sunday with a bang despite numerous technical problems. Their sound really don’t fit in here and there’s a whole lot of scene kids who aren’t into it, but it’s a great set that makes for one hell of an alarm clock. Chiodos: 7.5
According to their track Guilty Pleasure, Cobra Starship came here to makes us dance tonight and they most certainly succeed in doing so. Being buddies with the likes of Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes and Panic At The Disco means that the people here now a lot about this band and they are into every single word coming from the mouth of front man Gabe Saporta. With a set list boasting great tracks Church of Hot Addiction, Kiss My Sass, Send My Love to the Dancefloor, The City is at War and Guilty Pleasure, it’s hard to put a foot wrong and they don’t. The band is obviously enjoying themselves and the crowd is to, which makes for a great atmosphere and one of the most enjoyable performances of the weekend. Cobra Starship: 9.0
Set Your Goals manage to keep the pace up but they don’t quite have the material to make for a truly great performance although they are clearly trying hard and the crowd are reasonably into it. But want they really want to see is the return of Finch who’s set has gaps but is a gives a great sense of what this band is about. The crowd enjoy it, but it’s cut short before it can really build up a full head of steam and Alkaline Trio take over. They’re technical difficulties kill off any momentum that they may have garnered and the crowd is being lost at this point. Alkaline Trio are certainly a disappointment even if it’s not all their own fault. And when you need a band to really get the crowd going again, apparently Plain White T’s are not quite it. They play their way through a mediocre set, fans only really into Hate (I Really Don’t Like You) and metaphorically sit on their hands for the rest of the set until the band finish with that song, Hey There Delilah. It makes for a fabulous sing-along but was it worth watching the rest of the set just for the one song? Almost, but not quite. Set Your Goals: 6.5
Finch: 7.5
Alkaline Trio: 4.0
Plain White T’s: 5.0
And so it’s left up the Hayley Williams and co. to make up for what has been a somewhat lacklustre lead in to the closing act. And when Paramore come out onto the stage, the audience come unglued and are all over this stuff. The Memphis pop rockers play their way though Riot! and throw in a few old favourites like Pressure. Williams interacts well with the crowd and is brave enough to get in amongst ‘em, and they do love it, and although her powerful voice does a wonderful job of closing out the night, there’s no one song that stands out, nothing as massive as 30 Seconds… the night before and nothing too memorable. They work through their set with professionalism and put in a really good performance but I can’t help but feeling a little let down having expected just a little bit more from the band. Still, it’s a suitable way to end a weekend of ups and downs that’s turned out to be nothing more than a fun weekend out with some friends. Paramore: 8.5
Top 5 Performances
30 Seconds To Mars
You Me At Six
Cobra Starship
The Blackout
Paramore
If you don't mind a plague of scene kids, guys wearing women's jeans, a plethora of Converse shoes and teen boys wearing eyeliner, or just know away to avoid such people, then it's easy to enjoy this festival for what it is - youthful bands playing youthful music for the masses. The numerous Fall Out Boy clones aside, there were a lot of talented acts on show this weekend and many will no doubt have great success in the years to come, while the likes of Paramore and 30 Seconds proved that they are some of the best best mainstream rock acts around right now. Give It A Name 2008 may not have had the big name appeal of year's past but that hardly detracts from its appeal and a great weekend was had overall.
The 411: The headliners didn't disappoint, 30 Seconds To Mars in particular shone. Relative unknown acts like You Me At Six and The Blackout put on amazing performances for bands that have been around for so little time and they're going to have a big year. There's nothing offensive here, and there were no truly waful performances even if there was the odd let down. It was great to see the likes of Finch and Glassjaw playing again in the UK and they both delivered. Cobra Starship were something of a surprise package and many other bands packed a good punch. This was high-energy, adrenaline-laden stuff and a great weekend for all involved.
