Kerrang! Tour 2016 – Day Five – Newcastle

We’re joining this year’s line-up on the road to get all the backstage gossip from the four bands on the bill, so check back to Kerrang.com each day for a new blog from every date of the tour, and keep up-to-date with all the action on our Instagram account (@kerrangmagazine_). Don’t forget to send us your own pictures and stories using #KerrangTour2016!

Kerrang! Tour 2016 – Day Five – Newcastle

After a day off yesterday involving a double trip to the cinema (Deadpool and The Revenant – both excellent), a roast dinner and some football, the bands arrive at Newcastle Uni fresh for the second half of the tour (that’s gone so quickly already, hasn’t it?).

In the dressing rooms before soundcheck, Biters spend the majority of their time tweaking their guitars, snoozing and catching up with friends and family on their phones. Who said rock’n’roll was dead?

Outside, meanwhile, ROAM frontman Alex gives us a brief tour around the band’s cosy van, before having a kickabout in the car park with drummer Charlie and Frank Carter. They’re all pretty skilful, it has to be said – but don’t give up your day jobs, guys.

Eventually the cold prevails and we head back inside for soundcheck – but not before grabbing a word with Alex about what it’s like supporting Sum 41. Spoiler alert: it’s “pretty unreal”.

“Are you motherfuckers ready?!” Uh oh, it’s Biters time. Dreams Don’t Die and 1975 sound particularly brilliant tonight, and the rockers once again nail the task of warming up the crowd. A late-running soundcheck means that their set gets cut, but it’s a short, sweet and thoroughly entertaining slot.

And it’s the perfect act for ROAM to follow – who just get better every show. Crowd-surfers and massive sing-alongs? Yep, in spades. “I want this show to be the best of the tour!” Alex enthuses before a rousing Deadweight. He gets his wish.

It takes approximately 0.234687134 seconds (not even an exaggeration) for Frank Carter to jump into the crowd as The Rattlesnakes take to the stage, before inciting the biggest circle-pit Newcastle has ever seen.

Following the trend of out-doing himself every show on the tour so far, Frank then attempts some sort of inverse circle-pit. It doesn’t work, but A* for effort.

Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley is sick today sadly, so the first time we see him is when he hits the stage for another packed headline slot…

THAT SETLIST!

It’s complete and utter pandemonium once again, with lead guitarist Tom giving Deryck a helping hand on the vocals for Count Your Last Blessings’ tour debut. Lovely stuff.

The set is over in a blink of an eye (time flies when you’re having fun, after all), but not before the crowd belt out Fat Lip for one final time.

All together now…

See you tomorrow for more of the same, Norwich!