The fate of this early December show was questionable - a Nor'easter had Long Island in its grips and by 6pm, there was no sign of it letting up. Would the show be cancelled? If it was still on, would anyone show up? Well, the show went on, and yes, people did show up; in fact, quite more than I had expected. The problem? Two bands were still not there by the time the doors opened, causing the show to start late and a drastic change in the line-up. Whereas the order was supposed to be Classic Case, followed by Boys Night Out, then Spitalfield, and finally headliners Billy Talent, it was changed to Spitalfield, Classic Case, Billy Talent, and Boys Night Out.

Chicago four-piece Spitalfield broke the prolonged wait with some good-natured Boys Night Out-teasing-stage banter ("They should be used to snow - they're from Canada!") that elicited a "fuck you" from one of the BNO crew, and then ripping into "Those Days You Felt Alive", the bouncy first track off their debut on Victory, Remember Right Now, that was released earlier this year. Spitalfield bring tons of energy to the stage with their fun pop-punk sound; these guys are amazingly not cloying - something that cannot be said about too many of the bands in the genre nowadays… Happily, they altered their set somewhat from their last stop at Club Pure in Mineola. Although they started and ended with the same numbers, "Those Days You Felt Alive" and "Make My Heart Attack", respectively, they filled the rest of their near-30-minute set with a couple of different songs like the excellent "Stolen from Some Great Writer" and a new one that was slower and mellower than the other six. In fact, the one-two punch of "Five Days and Counting", which features great dual vocals from vocalist/guitarist Mark Rose and bassist TJ Minich, and "Stolen" was the highlight of the set. These two songs are a bit darker and harder - especially "Stolen", which midway through, features a groove-filled almost reggae-like bassline and gets rather hardcore towards the end - but still quite catchy, though the band's little "dance contest" during "Kill the Drama" was quite amusing and got the crowd going. You wouldn't think a pit would actually form during Spitalfield, but one did, as guys started slam dancing. Pretty funny. During the slow number, Mark called for a slow dance contest and afterwards asked if there was any kissing. The animated band managed to get a pit going once again during "I Loved the Way She Said 'L.A.'" - the band's first single off the record. And the kids weren't the only ones to let out some aggression: the band rocked out throughout most of the set and guitarist Dan Lowder even started hanging from the bars on the ceiling during the finale. Overall, a fun set - second time these guys impressed me. Not bad.

I must admit, I'd never heard of Classic Case, a Brooklyn quartet who supposedly drove five hours (!) to get to Long Island from Brooklyn. Their sound is a powerful indie-rock/punk mix with complex dual guitars and impressive drumming. They began with a reverb-laden tune before performing a song that the singer/guitarist said was on their CD, called "Down and Out", a spacey, trippy offering that features a hardcore breakdown which turns into more psychedelic riffs coupled with high-pitched vocals and then becomes more hardcore once again. They also showcased some mellower fare with a tune called "The Accomplice". Classic Case ended on one I believe was called "Misery", and perhaps because of the positive reaction they received from the crowd, the singer said he hoped to be back at The Downtown in January. Obviously the snow and long drive didn't affect their spirits.

Billy Talent. Where to begin? Having never heard the Canadian band before, but noticing the intense anticipation amongst the crowd - the frantic movement towards the stage, the growing number of people with trucker hats that said "My Billy Talent" on them, and just from how packed the place seemed, I could sense that these guys are, at least to the kids who were at the show, The Next Big Thing. And upon witnessing their set, it was clear why: the four-piece play catchy yet aggressive punk with hardcore flourishes (I suppose you'd call it, though I've since read somewhere that they refer to themselves as their own genre). Once the collective members assumed their positions on-stage, save the frontman, who apparently had to make a grand entrance, there were squeals of joy. When vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz ran onto the stage and the music started, all hell broke loose. This guy certainly has a manic stage presence that complements his crazy voice which is often melodic but can also turn to screechy yelps and screams on a dime, and he's backed by competent musicians. Nevertheless, it seems contrived. Yeah, I must have been the only one there who wasn't digging this because seriously, most of the people at the show were there for this band. The kids like it and buy into it, so that's the only thing that matters I guess.

In any case, they played some songs off their self-titled debut on Atlantic, including "Standing in the Rain", "Lies", "The Ex", and "River Below", a song that features disheartened, troubling lyrics. We heard requests for "Voices of Violence", prompting the frontman to say they'd play it later and instead tearing through one that's been on the radio called "Try Honesty". And I must admit, it's extremely catchy, as is most of their material, with gang vocal choruses supplied by bassist Jon Gallant and guitarist Ian D'Sa, but was just not feeling it. During the finale, things came to a climax, as people started stage diving for the first time that evening. Kicking off the festivities was a member of Boys Night Out I think, who was sitting on the side of the stage. Energetic? Yes. Memorable? Not so much.

Well, with the conclusion of Billy Talent's set, many of the kids left. Hey, the show DID start late, maybe their moms were there to pick them up or something, or maybe all their rock needs were fulfilled. Whatever the case may be, those who left early missed surprise headliners Boys Night Out, a band that impressed me during their last visit to The Downtown back in October with Catch 22. Now, let me clarify - it's not as if there was no one there, the ones that remained made up for all those who left, for the band's true hardcore fans rushed the stage and once the music started, just kept piling on each other, oftentimes with their fists in the air and singing along. The guys played a set full of old and new material, performing songs off their 2002 six-song EP Broken Bones And Bloody Kisses like the opener "Where We Breathe" and "Victor Verses the Victim" as well as ones from their debut full-length Make Yourself Sick that came out in September, including "I Got Punched in the Nose for Sticking My Face in Other People's Business". With their eclectic sound, BNO fuse highly melodic and upbeat pop-punk with hardcore elements - the screams mixed in with frontman Connor Lovat-Fraser's clean vocals, the breakdowns here and there, and just the music, which can get pretty heavy at times - but no matter the tone, it's always passionate. They ended on a high note with "A Torrid Love Affair". Basically, it was nice to see that they gave their all even though they weren't performing in front of a sold-out crowd like last time.

See Janelle's Boys Night Out and Billy Talent Photos here