So tonights venue of choice, The Barfly in Camden, is unexpectedly quiet. After their storming performance at this summers Sonisphere Festival, Fact has gathered a strong following on these shores. The crowd is made up of eager Uk fans and numerous over excited Japanese fans – these guys are huge in their native Japan. As they start the set, the front half of the Barfly goes absolutely crazy, with some of the best dancing we have seen in a while, although the back half remains almost static. This could be something to do with the fact that this is their first London show, and is therefore more than likely a showcase for the music media and industry alike. We are somewhere in-between the two crowds.There are some amazing tracks in their arsenal like ‘Fact of Life’, that puts them up with the likes of Linkin Park. Their songs are strong and delivered with great energy, and a surprising amount of crowd interaction too, seeing as they speak very little english. The drummer even holds up a script to read out, stating that,’London is off the chain’. It was extremely endearing to see how much they appreciate the attention they receive. The problem with their set is that their live delivery is quite far away from their sound on the record. This is understandable to a point as their album quality is almost perfect, but for us the difference is a bit too noticeable. When they close the set with the outstanding ‘Rise’ you forget all negative points, and the front half party gets even bigger as they are joined by a few of the previously stiff big wigs. Not a perfect set by any means, but these guys know how to get a crowd going with just music, minus any bullshit banter. 7/10
