Tonight’s audience is so broad and diverse; you could be forgiven for thinking you’d gone to the wrong venue. The wide range of faces, ages and styles is  a testament to the headliner’s popularity. Each and every individual in this venue stands together to support one band, a band that has moved out of the shadows of their larger counterparts to create a unique and astonishing sound. That band could be none other than Symphony X.

You would think that with a set heavily dominated by material from their latest album ‘Iconoclast’ that there would be very little in the way of audience participation. Well, you obviously haven’t met any Symphony X fans recently. Songs like ‘Dehumanized’ and ‘Bastards of the Machine’ get the crowd roaring along to every word just as much as old classics like ‘Of Sins and Shadows’. Russell Allen is as commanding and charismatic as ever, throwing ever ounce of his strength and enthusiasm into each and every song.  Even though the rest of the band are at the top of their game musically, it is Mr Allen who you cannot help but watch. That is until Michael Romeo shreds the faces off everyone with his blistering solo’s which he pulls off so effortlessly it’s actually rather sickening; this is more definitely one of the most stunning performances of the year. As they demolish the venue with ‘Set The World On Fire’ the whole venue is jumping and singing alongside possible one of the more impressive lived performances of 2011.