It was a night that promised plenty of nostalgia and a touch of hard rock, Local H, Soil and Alien Ant Farm put on a sold out rock show at the Waterfront that only just about delivered.
First up on stage was a relatively unknown band, Local H. They kicked the night off with a distorted guitar to sound out an almost evil laugh as they took to the stage.
It was a strong showing from the Chicago based duo as they filled the venue with a grunge sound that hasn't been around since the 2000s.
Their performance was emphatic and packed with energy which is the perfect way to open any show. It's never an easy thing to do but Local H did a decent enough job and won a fair few of the crowd over by the end of their set.
Soil was up next with the accompaniment of a mix of their songs, which teased fan favourite 'Halo'. For a band that have been performing and touring for more than twenty years, the feeling of genuine enjoyment to be on stage and performing was very visible from the band.
Front man Ryan McCombs continuously thanked everyone for selling out the show and being there in between songs throughout their set.
A surprising appearance in their set was a cover of Ram Jam's 'Black Betty' which suited their style perfectly. To round off a very solid showing from the Chicago rockers, the familiar drum roll of 'Halo' hit with McCombs performing the entirety of it amongst the crowd with fans swarming around him.
Finally it was time for headline act Alien Ant Farm to take to the stage. Front man Dryden Mitchell was in good spirits, interacting with the crowd lining the barriers, cheers-ing beers with the majority of them.
The show really kicked off when they played 'Movies' with most of the crowd singing a long with the band. Midway through the set, an individual in the crowd seemed to be causing trouble, so Mitchell threw them out the show to make sure the rest of the crowd had a good time.
Next they began playing 'Simpatico' starting off playing the track on Mitchell's phone with the whole band carrying it on soon after.
Overall it was a fun night of rock music at The Waterfront. Each band left their mark on the night with Local H opening bravely and packing the venue with energy, Soil showing that they hadn't missed a step over their 21 years as a band, finally finishing off with Alien Ant Farm bringing that nostalgia to the stage with 'Movies' and 'Smooth Criminal' being guaranteed winners.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here