When I got the text from Uber Rock's Gaz saying that he couldn't make this gig and that there was a ticket with my name on it... I quickly accepted the challenge and 6 hours later I was knee deep in pubescent teenagers! It's tours like this that I remember going to only a couple of years ago, back when I actually used to read Kerrang! (okay it was more like 15 years ago) but you get the drift, as these are usually the kind of gigs that actually showcase bands who most of the audience would never get the chance to check out live!

The doors opened at 7pm and Philadelphia pop punks The Wonder Years hit the stage literally 5 minutes later. After reviewing their latest long player, 'The Upsides', and secretly loving it, watching these guys raise the roof is something of a revelation; I never expected them to THIS good! Scratch that... GREAT! Fair enough, the between song banter is the usual fare for gigs these days but with music as good as theirs, and the songs taking on a whole new lease of life in a live setting, they are forgiven.

Next up were Nashville's K Awards nominees Framing Hanley who, if truth be told, were going to have their work cut out for themselves following such a set and, whilst being good, they never hit the same level as the previous act. Opening with their cover of Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop', the band seem to try too hard. They hit their high with single 'Back To Go Again' which has been on high rotation on Kerrang! TV so everyone knew the words and duly sang/screamed along. It was during this song that something happened  which never seems to happen at gigs these days in that there was a heckler that got on Kenneth Nixon's nerves throughout their set. Nixon took exception to this guy giving him the 'wanker' hand gesture all the way through which, unfortunately, was a high point of their set.

After a set change that seemed to take forever (actually it was only 30 mins) Massachusetts' very own Four Year Strong literally hit the stage and completely levelled the playing field. Their brand of post-hardcore heavy pop punk literally floored me... and that's not saying anything about the beards! Man, this group are indeed men's men, apparently calling their own music Beard-core! With the dual vocal and guitar duties of Dan O'Connor and Alan Day (and their beards of strength!) and Four Year Strong shirts the most dominant item of clothing in the crowd, they appeared to the band everyone was here to see and I can understand why as they simply tore Cardiff a new one and then some! A band I will most certainly check out again in the future!

On to headliners Good Charlotte who appear to have gotten over the backlash afforded to them since their inception. With what's essentially a 'Greatest Hits' set the Madden boys give the baying Cardiff crowd everything they want - Opening with 'Anthem' and leading straight into 'Girls And Boys' I was worried that the band may have prematurely shot their load... but I needn't have worried as the band followed that up with 'My Bloody Valentine' and 'Silver Screen Romance'. With banter from Joel saying how much Cardiff rocked and, after spending time here recently, how Cardiff and the Welsh know how to party after their experiences with Ponty's own LostProphets, the band appeared to been going for the 'Cheap Pops' rather than the 'Hard Knocks' that bands of this scene appear to hunger for. Continuing with the 'Hits' and with a back catalogue of songs as good as 'Predictable' and 'Little Things', the band saved the best for last with a closing bravado of 'The River', 'Dance Floor Anthem', 'I Just Wanna Live', 'Sex On The Radio', 'Counting The Days' and 'Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous'. The band laid waste to Cardiff and everyone went home happy and just a little bit sweaty!