Bullet For My Valentine are playing in front of about 9,000 people. Slayer did the same thing last month but with a much stronger supporting line-up and over two nights. Some might say there is no justice.

The fact of the matter is that Bullet For My Valentine are a Top 5 charting band in the two most important countries and they sell records to the people that matter – people that actually give a shit.

Bullet sell records to the people that will also show their love for a band by actually turning up to see them play the songs on that record.

Yes, large portions of those people are very young girls, ably escorted by similarly young boys but don’t let that fool you.

Their brand of modern metalcore is absolutely not as true to traditional metal as many demand. That’s what makes is modern rather than traditional. The years don’t start with the number 19 any more, FYI.

This is a band that is going to be around for a while yet. This is no flash-in-the-pan pop band. They write real songs for real people.

Take the chap to my left in his mid-40s, for example. To him, this is as real as any metal band. His hangover, tomorrow morning, is testament to that.

Bullet For My Valentine, Lacuna Coil, Bleeding Through and Black Tide @ Alexandra Palace photo gallery by Graham Pentz