LIVE: Alien Ant Farm @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

Back in the dawn of the new millennium, Alien Ant Farm were everywhere. Their cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ went platinum and topped charts across the world in 2001, and mainstream success beckoned. After a series of dubious decisions including bootlegging their own fourth album, splitting in 2007

LIVE: Boston Manor / Trophy Eyes @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

It’s a night of achievement, even though the O2 Forum Kentish Town feels rather too relaxed for a Friday night as the crowd meanders in. It’s Boston Manor’s biggest headline show to date, the last night of their Sundiver tour, and they’re in the mood to party. The second Trophy

Crosses †††, Vowws @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

LIVE: Crosses ††† / VOWWS @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

After what was frankly a pretty miserable start to June, the season seemed to change rather suddenly with a mini-heatwave thrusting London into the familiar stickiness of British summertime in the city. Thankfully the notoriously hot O2 Forum Kentish Town feels just about bearable as the house lights dim

The Blackout @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

LIVE: Thrice / Palm Reader @ O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

Palm Reader have been kings of the underground heavy music scene for many years, and tonight they prove why they deserve that title, with all seven current members throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their support slot for post-hardcore legends Thrice. Opening with the powerful ‘Hold/Release’, Josh McKeown’s voice cuts through the

LIVE: Tesseract / Unprocessed / The Callous Daoboys @ Kentish Town Forum, London

Bounding onto the stage to the sound of Cascada’s ‘Every Time We Touch’, Atlanta sextet The Callous Daoboys aren’t necessarily who you would expect to see supporting prog metal giants Tesseract. As the electro dance beat gives way to the opening drums of ‘Star Baby’, discordant guitars, violin and

TesseracT, Unprocessed, The Callous Daoboys @ o2 Forum Kentish Town, London

LIVE: The Front Bottoms’ Champagne Jam @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

While outside the streets fill with tinsel clad revellers, the Front Bottoms are throwing their own Christmas party. The final-ish night of their UK tour (they added an extra date after tonight’s show sold out) had been declared Champagne Jam: the British incarnation of one day festival curated by

LIVE: The Used / The Home Team / Honey Revenge @ O2 Forum Kentish Town

Outside the Forum, teenagers in face paint huddle together like baby penguins, hoods and occasionally plastic bags on their heads to protect their neon hair from the stinging winter rain. While The Used are ambivalent about being labelled an emo band (they’ve insisted on interviews that they’re just “a