Not there? We were.

Miles Away took the stage at 3.45pm, and managed to fill the large stage, and venue, superbly. Playing mostly tracks from Rewind, Repeat their frontman tried his hardest to enthuse the crowd with his brash voice, but a stubborn and seemingly un-interested crowd paid little respect to the biggest hardcore band in their home city. Having recently toured the USA with heavyweights ‘Outbreak’, the boys have been heavily on the scene, and should continue to please fans for years to come.

After a short interval, Swedish 60’s rock and roll inspired band The (International) Noise Conspiracy took the stage. For those old enough to remember, lead singer Dennis Lyxzén once fronted the (then) futuristic punk/hardcore band Refused. Clad in purple velvet, the quad took to the stage with a bundle of energy, and threw all they had at the crowd. In jeans that could almost be mistaken as compression tights, Lyxzén questioned the opinions of certain members of the crowd on his own sexuality, before informing one surprised punter that he would ‘suck his cock’ after the show. While this could well have gone horribly wrong, this act, along with a crowd walk, seemed to win over more fans than it lost.

Finally, after being cooped up in an overcrowded smelly room, Rise Against appeared, and a frenzy of energy followed. Opening with Drones and Give It All, lead singer Tim McIlrath hit every note like a dream. As the opening bars of State of the Union rang out, the crowd swelled, and as one, jumped into the air, leaving no room for the anticipated circle pit.

The class of Rise Against was a sight to behold. Bass guitarist Joe Principe, showed why he has established himself as one of the best hardcore bassists around, with his ‘pick only’ playing style. Even more impressive was drummer Brandon Barnes, who made the job look like child’s play.

After closing the main set with The Good Left Undone, the four piece returned to stage, with McIlrath playing acoustic renditions of Hero of War and Swing Life Away. It was at this point that a member of the crowd pelted him with a shoe, and was immediately ordered on stage by McIlrath. Showing true class, he politely interrogated the offender, stripped him of his Rise Against shirt, and ordered him back into the crowd.

Finishing with Prayer of the Refugee, the band thanked the crowd, and even more so, the punters thanked their idols for a truly great performance.

Rise Against’s entrenched political views were made clear with their Barrack Obama dub fanfare as they arrived onstage, and it is impressive to see these four musicians able to put their opinions of the US Presidency and Animal Rights across to the people with the power to ensure fists will be raised in moshpits for many years to come.

Not there? We were.