Alter Bridge - Birmingham Academy - Tuesday 22nd January 2008

First gig of 2008 and Chop's withdrawal symptoms from live music are satiated - can't believe I haven't seen a band since 28th December....nearly a month can't be healthy.

... and the first band of the year are? Enjoy Destroy (I think... couldn't tell from the horrific emo-tinged logo on their non-selling T-shirts and the singer mumbled when he announced who they were). Worst support band I have seen for a long time. Nothing inherently wrong with them, reasonable enough musicians, just formulaic old school rock which could have bored a crowd to death at several hundred yards. They announced their headliner tour later in the year when they will play Bar Academy - can't believe they recruited anyone tonight or that they will need anywhere bigger than a phonebox to house their audience! Damned with polite applause throughout before shuffling off the stage almost apologetically... dull if I am being kind.

Tricky review this one - I only know one Alter Bridge song courtesy of a "Classic Rock" sampler CD but was impressed enough to buy a ticket. Incredibly tight as a band; Mark Tremonti is a truly gifted guitarist and Myles Kennedy possesses one of the finest sets of vocal chords I have heard in a while and is a hugely charismatic frontman. Not my usual cup of tea; let's face it modern stadium rock would not feature in my favourite genres, but God have they got flair.

Of the set only recognised "One By One" and the closer which was a re-worked and beefed-up Kashmir - strange choice but clinically executed and worked well. Set proper concluded in near as damn it an hour.

Promoting their second album with,according to the tracklistings, 24 tracks to choose from, and they manage an hour including an admittedly superb Led Zep cover didn't seem like value for money to me however good they may have been. Three encores followed including "Open Your Eyes" and a brilliant blues/slide guitar semi-accoustic cover. Enjoyed them immensely and will be buying their back catalogue later in the year, my only real criticism would be the shortness of the set, otherwise well worth checking out again - and next time I will be able to namecheck a few tracks!