Metallica put on weighty headlining show at Reading 2015

Let’s be honest: you know what you’re going to get when it comes to a Metallica show. Bombast, riffs and ridiculous drum faces courtesy of Lars Ulrich, there are few surprises in store when it comes to the Saturday night headliners, but, hey, who needs surprises when you’re Metallica?

Introduced by the ominous sounds of Ennio Morricone’s ‘The Ecstasy of God’, things are quickly turned all the way up to the eleven as they plough into the quickfire stomp of ‘Fuel’. Backed by a sizeable crowd of their own fans, who have all won the opportunity to spend the set on stage – and seem to resemble more of a silent choir, in their matching t-shirts, than anything else – James Hetfield et al have no trouble whipping up a frenzy both on stage and off.

After the fury of Bring Me The Horizon’s set before them, they are – in contrast – an act who depend more on the sheer weight of their presence than the electricity of their live show. There’s no disputing their spot as metal’s heavyweights – and granted, no one would ever try to – but they were never going to be the most innovative of headliners. A solid, dependable choice that will always be able to appease the masses, Metallica are still the kings of all things heavy and they’ll probably always remain as such, but at times it all feels too safe. At a moment when organisers feel to finally be taking risks with their bookings, it’s probably time to give someone else a go.