RATING: See review for respective ratings.
VERDICT: Success comes at a price for A.

Not giving quite the powerhouse performance they did when supporting Nickelback at the same venue last month, Rival Schools still manage to impress and provide further proof that they should be the headline act at any gig they play. The crowd response to them is far better tonight than it was in the presence of the fans of the Canadian grunge-lite cowboys, suggesting the band is winning over a new audience with every gig they play. Their forthcoming gig at the Garage promises to be awesome. (7 out of 10)

The worst-named band in musical history (sure, they’re easy to find in the CD racks but try searching for them on the internet), A have finally made it to bona fide headline status after five years of being a reliable and entertaining support act. Of course, it all comes at it a price. Once favourably compared to Jane’s Addiction (mainly because of Jason Perry’s castrato-like wail), A have unfortunately lost the plot completely and turned into The Police (they even acknowledge the fact by segueing into a snippet of "King Of Pain"). The band play a lacklustre set with little energy and the audience, most of whom are here solely to hear the top ten hit "Nothing", respond accordingly. The tracks taken from "Hi Fi Serious" do nothing to dismiss the Police comparisons and only the selections from their debut album "How Ace Are Buildings" give any hint that A were once the UK’s premier skate-punk outfit. Five years of touring has done nothing to tighten up the band either. "Cheeky Monkey" – a great song, no question – is all over the place. It’s as if the band members have each placed a bet on which one of them can finish the song first. Even the Offspring-inspired bubble and snow machines, the latter enlivening an otherwise redundant "Lake Tahoe", fail to relieve the boredom. (5 out of 10)