Live Review: Megadeth, Children Of Bodom

One of the more surprising sights at the Megadeth show at the Hordern has to have been the number of kids sitting on parental shoulders, horns up, headbanging. We spotted at least three junior metal masters on our side of the stage, all aged under ten and only one wearing cans. Given how very much at home these boys looked in this decidedly grown-up environment, it appears the next generation of metalheads is off to a good start.

Children Of Bodom cranked out a very smooth show with plenty of fire and majesty to a sizable, appreciative audience. The diehards were down front getting their mosh on while the rest of us cruised the bar, eyed off the other punters and generally settled in for a good time. The new tunes from the Finnish metal masters' latest opus, I Worship Chaos, worked well with the band's older material and set closer, In Your Face, mixed loud and gnarly with some eerie twinkly keys as a fun disruptive element.

The courtyard emptied and the house was packed for the men of the hour: Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Kiko Loureiro and Chris Adler, the latest iteration of a band that was formed over 30 years ago. This was a metal show that banged all the right gongs with alpha males wielding instruments, huge LED screens, a massive sound, and a blistering light show.

Between T-shirts helicoptering over the mosh pit, massive circles opening up across the floor, the waving of a Fuck Metallica sign and the odd woman sprouting on shoulders on the floor, energy surged through the feedback loop between audience and band. One enterprising punter managed to surf his way to the crash barrier and get one leg up on the stage only a mere arm-length away from the frontman before being hauled off by security. The owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball cap that landed at Mustaine's feet earned a personal fuck off from the man himself: "Next time pick a fucking winner."

Tight transitions, glorious showcases of technique, and one thundering number after another meant there wasn't much downtime anywhere during the show. Clips that referenced the band in movies like Silver Linings Playbook and Wayne's World 2 proved metal is not completely devoid of a sense of humour, as did Mustaine's introductions of the highlight numbers Kingmaker, She Wolf, Fatal Illusion and show closer, Holy Wars.

If you want big, loud, fast, angry fun, it doesn't get much better than this.