SHINEDOWN. Halestorm @Institute 17/2/12

When RTM was a lot younger, Skid Row were the first band I ever saw live, back in 1991 at the NEC. As such, it is immensely gratifying to know that their influence still lives on.

Or, at least it does as far as Halestorm are concerned. The Pennsylvania four piece owe something of a debt to Snake, Rachel and the rest. But at least they have the good grace to acknowledge this explicitly by including the title track from the “Slave to the Grind” album in their set.

There is nothing remotely approaching original about Halestorm, but that doesn’t stop them being entertaining. The band is built around brother and sister vocalist and drummer duo Lzzy (her spelling) and Arejay Hale. The former possesses a fine voice – although her unaccompanied rendition of “Crazy On You” did get a bit full of American Idol histrionics for RTM’s taste.

They are friends of, and regular touring partners for, the headliners and the crowd laps them up. Indeed by the time they have finished their confident set with “I Get Off” such is the adulation it doesn’t seem long before they are back here with their own name on the top of the poster.

Shinedown are one of those bands that only can be produced in the US. They have sold six million albums worldwide and the “Sold Out” signs are up tonight. Arena stars in their homeland; they can easily cope with 1400 Brummies.

They begin with the title track of their 2008 breakthrough album “The Sound Of Madness” from which most of tonight’s set comes, but they are soon playing “Enemies” a track from their upcoming CD “Amaryllis,” due next month. Perhaps surprisingly, the big hit “Devour” soon follows – most bands would leave the single to the encore, but such is their belief in their abilities Shinedown don’t feel the need to wait. 

So it is that for 90 minutes they are on stage playing American radio hard rock of the type that bands like Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses et al used to do in the 1980s. Singer Brant Smith says he grew up watching his heroes on MTV and it is abundantly clear that songs like “The Crow And The Butterfly” and the real lighters-in-the-air-moment of  “Second Chance” are designed with bigger stages than this in mind, and judging by the near hysteria down the front they will be getting them even over here next time around.

So a total triumph then? Well no actually, because it’s all a little too slick. There are moments when the band – although playing live – are clearly doing so over backing tapes and it gets a to be off-putting, especially with the drum sound. The low point is when they play a track in the encore – the new single “Bully,” which sounds like it was designed to be a teen anthem by a focus group. This is for Middle America to lap up, not Middle England. Almost on cue stools come out for an acoustic version of Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” before set closer “From the Inside” rounds things off.

If you like your rock music to be safe, corporate and clean-cut then Shinedown are the band for you. They are the musical equivalent of a Cadburys Mini Roll. Light, fluffy, pleasant and inoffensive, but never going to be your favourite cake and it will never change your life if you eat one.