30 Seconds to Mars, Brighton Centre, Thursday 25th November 2010.

When: 25th November 2010
Where: Brighton Centre
With: Funeral Party, Enter Shikari

It’s mind-numbingly cold along Brighton’s brightly lit seafront but tonight this has no impact on the thousands who have flocked to catch 30 Seconds to Mars’ performance at the Brighton Centre; one of the larger venues in this thriving city. A lone sleeping bag left abandoned outside the venue shows just exactly to what extremes fans will go to catch a glimpse of their idol; a certain Mr Leto. Sadly, it’s not much warmer inside, with security hot on the heels of the teenage hoards and the air conditioning whacked up to full blast in preparation for the wild fans who will inevitably faint from heat as they push their way ever closer to the stage. Nonetheless, the sound system in place tonight is darn near perfection; with every crooning vocal that Leto lets loose reverberating throughout the venue until eventually echoing into oblivion.

Californian quartet Funeral Party are up first; frontman Chad Elliott taking centre stage and drawing the eye with his typically predictable, but strong, indie-style vocals. There’s not much to be said on the matter of stage presence but the music itself manages to make more of a connection with the crowd; it’s light and mellow sound creating a laidback atmosphere which deludes the unsuspecting parents into thinking this is going to be a “nice and sensible” gig. Meanwhile, the toned down guitars allow for a particularly catchy bassline to be heard. Considering the majority of the crowd are unaware of this band’s name, let alone their music, they pull off a commendable performance and get a smattering of polite applause in return which really isn’t that bad at all.

The same cannot be said for the main support band of the night; Enter Shikari. Having made a significant impact with debut album ‘Take to the Skies’ back in 07 and follow up ‘Common Dreads’ in 09, this band are undoubtedly known by every single member of the audience and expectations and atmosphere are both notched up a gear as the lights dim and the thudding, electronic beat of a remixed ‘Common Dreads’ fills the room amid blinding white lights. Tonight, every band member is on top form with a boundless energy about them; Rou stomps his way around the stage as he spurns out angry lyrics while Rory spares a moment to mount the equipment and bask in the sound of a thousand enthusiastic fans’ cheers. Standout moments include new single ‘Destabilise’ and an extended breakdown in set closer ‘Juggernauts’ which involves such a heavy bassline, your ears take a monumental beating just by being in the same room. Having honed their live performance to excellence, it seems that Enter Shikari can do no wrong.

There’s a fairly long interlude between Shikari and headliners 30 Seconds to Mars, but rather than dampening the atmosphere it only causes the adrenaline fuelled youngsters to go even more berserk. By the time the room is plunged into darkness the crowd are having spasms while hyperventilating uncontrollably and the screams that pierce the air as the band make an appearance have to be heard to be believed. It’s enough to make your ears bleed. 30STM have gone all out on the stage set up for this UK tour; the lights seem never ending as they lower from the ceiling, blind from the back and cast an eerie glow over the stage. However, it’s the spotlight which is permanently fixed on Leto throughout the set, following him like a hawk as he spins his way across the stage that really captures the attention of the crowd. Members of The Echelon are sure to lap this up, but to everyone else it seems a little arrogant. There’s no doubting that 30STM are a truly remarkable live act, creating such a stunning visual performance that they rival Muse in the process but a little spontaneity wouldn’t go amiss. Without it, everything seems a little surreal and robotic; the guitar changes are timed to the second, the speeches given by Leto (no other band member utters a sound throughout the set) are generic and predictable and the songs are executed with perfection but lack in humanity. To make matters worse, Leto brings the Union Jack onstage and makes it the centre piece for the entirety of ‘The Kill’; there’s more arse licking in this room than you can shake a stick at. Nonetheless; the songs themselves are genuinely epic and Leto redeems himself when he removes to the back of the venue to perform an acoustic rendition of ‘From Yesterday’ and set highlight ‘Alibi’ which showcases Leto’s exceptional vocals. Closing with crowd favourite ‘Kings & Queens’ which sees 40 or so out-of-control fans clamber on stage to sing along, it’s easy to see why 30STM have such a phenomenal fanbase and you can’t help thinking that if the band members relaxed a little, they could become one of the best live acts around.