30 Seconds blast off in London
Leto and the boys topped the Give It A Name bill
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Sunday, 18, May 2008 02:06
inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley watches Jared Leto and co on top form at Give It A Name.
Had a bomb dropped on Earl's Court on the weekend of alt-rock festival Give It A Name, sales of black skinnies, eyeliner, Chuck Taylor high tops and spiked belts would have seen a immediate slump so dominated was the venue by kids who would decry being labelled as emos but still dress in the very fashion that merits the generalisation.
But after the irritating agit-punk of Anti Flag and the impassioned but very nasal cry of Billy Talent comes a band whose silencing of the doubters is the very reason for the attendance of such a devoted crowd.
His teen series days long behind him, 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto is now a rockstar of stature and judging by the frequency with which he drops profanities into his between-song banter, evidently loving it.
The four-piece make a hugely dramatic entrance and with Leto and co made up to fit with the neon stage theme, it's hard not to be caught up in the spectacle of it all, even though you're well aware the songs aren't quite good enough to merit this kind of adoration.
Nonetheless, Leto has the crowd in his hands throughout. Recent single From Yesterday - whose 14 minute video showcased the band's liking for Asian cinema - is a huge, golden U2 tribute while The Story smacks of a cross between Metallica and Staind. Whether that's a good thing, especially considering the song's similarities to works by the latter, is another matter.
Closing track The Kill (Bury Me), a best song winner at the Kerrang! awards, is undeniably the band's special move, a towering anthem with Leto screaming his heart out with such vigour that the simpering pretty boy of his My So-Called Life days is instantly forgotten.
Well, until the camera lingers on his visage and you are again reminded that he's far too good looking to be in a band that makes this kind of music. Chunky, sideburned singers like Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump - that's what you expect from emo.
Lewis Bazley
Click here to watch the epic video for From Yesterday