Avoiding touching hot surfaces is a basic rule of life, yet it takes a scorching new band from the States to make you forget all that, even if it's for just a 45 minute set. No physical injuries are registered in the house tonight, however, other than everyone's eardrums being destroyed at the hands of a three instrumentalists, a DJ and two singers answering to the name of Linkin Park. Playing this small venue in front of an invited audience gives their first appearance on our shores a touch of magic and from beginning to end, these guys give their all to the crowd like natural born performers. Influenced by a diverse bunch of bands (Deftones - who they'll be supporting in the UK in March - Nine Inch Nails, and the Aphex Twin to mention a few), these guys manage to fuse hip-hop rhythms with melodies that are reminiscent of Fear Factory and feature long, drawn out passages intertwined with rapping vocals in true Limp Bizkit style. The likes of 'One Step Closer' and 'With You' are spat out in genuine rock 'n' roll fashion, and the band's instrument-wielding members do their best to keep the sound tight, while mic users Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda give us a piece of their minds, hogging both the limelight and the rest of the stage in the process. Nobody should shy away from such a blistering force of nature!