Fozzy (With Support From Jettblack) - Cardiff University - 4th November 2011 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Written by Jon Stickler
Chris Jericho's band Fozzy kicked-off Guy Fawkes weekend with a bang last Friday, 4th November. Playing Cardiff University's CF10 Bar, the former WWE superstar led an enthusiastic set of riff-infused heavy rock'n'roll, following a fine supporting performance from fast-rising metallers Jettblack.
Lighting the fuse, Jettblack, a band I have enjoyed seeing on a few occasions over the Summer, look set to play some big stages very soon. Heavily influenced by 1980's metal, the four-piece shred through a fantastic set made up of tracks from their debut offering 'Get Your Hands Dirty'.
Satisfying a crowd, who already seem familiar with Jettblack's music, songs such as 'Slip It On', 'Two Hot Girls' and the superb title track 'Get Your Hands Dirty' are received with huge cheers from a growing audience. Having played an impressive show on Sonisphere's Jagermeister Stage earlier this year, Jettblack are definitely a group to watch out for in 2012. It'll be good to see these guys up on a Main Stage one day.
The increasing number of 'Lady Gaga Must Be Destroyed' t-shirts can only mean Fozzy are nearing their stage time. Taking to the stage and bathing in his WWE superstardom, Chris Jericho lets the fireworks off early as he leads us all through a high octane rock'n'roll show.
A baking hot CF10 Bar is in awe of the sheer enthusiasm and energy created by Fozzy. Stepping-up to look out over the crowd, frontman Chris Jericho, a man who clearly loves what he is doing on stage, commands the crowd for every song. Try not wanting to punch the air at a Fozzy gig!
Guitarists Rich 'The Duke' Ward and Billy Grey trade beefy riffs and licks in-between their impromptu stage dives that see a flurry of fans scramble to take the ultimate picture on their mobile phones. The band love it too, really feeding off the crowd as Jericho steps back to admire the reoccurring 'FOZ-ZY, FOZ-ZY, FOZ-ZY' chants.
'Pray For Blood', 'Martyr No More' and 'Grail' all feature in a set made up of Fozzy's back catalogue and despite some slight problems with the sound system, at times its difficult to hear Jericho's vocals over the music, nothing stops the fun oozing from the performance. The Fozzy faithful clap, cheer and bounce, especially through the ‘Hey, Hey, Hey's' and 'One, Two, Three's’ of 'God Pounds His Nails'; which nearly sees the head of one particularly tall fan burst through the low ceiling.
It's good to see a band perform on stage with the sheer enthusiasm and energy that Fozzy give out. Fozzy don't just “go through the motions”, they're a band that, to me, seem to be thoroughly enjoying life in the spotlight and although not playing to their biggest crowd tonight, still give a show that is of festival standards.
A 'Lady Gaga Must Be Destroyed' t-shirt is definitely on my Christmas list too!
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Lighting the fuse, Jettblack, a band I have enjoyed seeing on a few occasions over the Summer, look set to play some big stages very soon. Heavily influenced by 1980's metal, the four-piece shred through a fantastic set made up of tracks from their debut offering 'Get Your Hands Dirty'.
