OZZFEST

London o2 Arena

18th September 2010

After more than five years, Ozzfest finally returned to the UK and on a sunny autumn afternoon 20,000 black clad metal fans descended on North Greenwich to take over the o2 Arena.

Organisation issues meant that the doors didn't open at the scheduled time and there was some concern that the majority of the crowd would miss the opening bands. The announcement that the start time would be delayed to let everyone inside was greeted with audible sighs of relief and the crowd relaxed.

While there had been some effort to create a festival feel inside the o2, the funfair consisted of some dodgems and there were about 3 stalls and a massive bar; while this is more than you'd get at your average gig, the fact that it had been billed as "The Village of the Damned" left it feeling a bit tired and deflated.

However, once inside the main arena it was clear that this was going to be special and by the time Skindred (7/10) took to the stage the crowd was huge. The welsh reggae metallers bounced their way through a solid 45 min set including crowd favourites 'Destroy the Dancefloor' and 'Pressure', during the latter of which, the band launched into the instantly recognisable riff from 'Back in Black'. Benji Webbe's immense stage presence and his natural ability to entertain meant that even the older fans purely there to see Ozzy were grooving with the bands infectious music.

Steel Panther (6/10) seem to be on a mission to find out just how long they can tour using the same songs and judging by the reaction of the crowd when they took to the stage they'll be able to keep going for a good while longer. All the favourites from their album 'Feel The Steel' were in the setlist along with the usual cock and titties jokes but with no amusing cover songs and no special guests it did fall somewhat flat. The redeeming feature was the debut of new song "Critter" which while along the lines of their old material managed to be even more controversial and had the crowd visibly shaking with laughter and disbelief.

With the lighter entertainment out of the way the excitement was building for the return of a band which after having one successful album seemed to dissapear with a whimper. The Murderdolls (8/10) are well and truly back with a heavier, darker sound that has less of the joke feel of their 2003 release 'Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls'. This new found maturity suits the band well and with new additions Roman Surman, Jack Tankersley and Racci Shay they seem to have found a good solid lineup. The new members compliment the demented guitar playing of SlipKnoT drummer Joey Jordison and the raspy vocals of Wednesday 13 as they lead the crowd through a lot of their old material but it's the songs from brand new album 'Women & Children Last' which really shine. 'Summertime Suicide' has the crowd pumping their fists and screaming along with the oddly attired frontman and the menace of 'My Dark Place Alone' has everyone whipped up into a frenzy. As with every Murderdolls show they finish with the outrageous 'I Love to say Fuck' with Wednesday 13 proudly displaying his FUCK Umbrella for all to see.

KoЯn (10/10) have gone from strength to strength in the last few months and for a band that had been written off as bland, jaded and boring in recent times they took to the arena as if it was 1993 all over again. The set is full of the hits that prove why the Bakersfield boys are so important to the world of metal and the new material fits in well with their back catalogue. With the backdrop of a futuristic city behind them and an impressive pyrotechnics display this isn't just a run through their greatest hits, this is a band back from the dead; Jon Davis even re-introduced the bagpipes to the show when they tore through the creepy 'Shoots and Ladders'. New song 'Let the Guilt Go' showcases how powerful the new material is and a mass sing-a-long to 'Blind' re-iterates just how important KoЯn are to metal. The band are tight and while the line up has changed somewhat over the years everything has clicked into place. Ray Luzier may still be seen by some as the new guy but alongside bassist Fieldy, he provides the backbone to what is one of the most dominating rhythm sections in music. KoЯn felt like headliners and in one hour they proved that they are not to be written off.

At 9pm on the dot the lights dimmed and the entrance video for Ozzy Osbourne (9/10) was played on the big screens. It's the same video that had been used on the US Ozzfest and while most of the parodies were understood by the crowd, his take on Twilight and Lady Gaga causing ripples of laughter, some of the pop culture references were a little lost in translation. As the show started with 'Bark at the Moon', Ozzy's voice sounded very strained and combined with the video there was a moment where you wondered whether this was going to be one big joke but as each song began Ozzy seemed to get more lively and his voice got stronger. An impressive rendition of new track 'Let me hear you scream' had the crowd going wild as Ozzy delighted in covering the audience and most of the photographers and security in foam from a gun and throwing buckets of water round. He wisely stuck to his older material and included impressive versions of a number of Sabbath songs including 'Fairies wear boots' and 'Into the Void' as well as the customary 'Paranoid' and 'Iron Man'. New guitarist Gus G excelled infront of a UK audience for the first time and a blistering rendition of Van Halen's 'Eruption' ensured he won over even the most die-hard of Zakk Wylde fans.

Dedicating 'Road to Nowhere' to the late great Ronnie James Dio was a nice touch which was received well by the fans who responded with a sea of cigarette lighters and while Sabbath may have replaced him with Dio there is a genuine sadness in Ozzy's voice as he talks about his death.

As the last strains of 'Paranoid' echoed around the arena and Ozzy took his bow, the love and appreciation he has for his audience is clear. He may not be the greatest singer in the world but the Prince of Darkness is most definitley the world's greatest showman and he ensured that everyone left with a smile on their face.


Jakk Knox