It must be a tough ol' deal opening the show for tonight's rostrum of metal heavyweights. TesseracT aren’t exactly a straight-up, big-hitter in this division; the four-piece are a middleweight built on an eclectically experimental tone of djent so subtle that the immense talents of these Brits shines gaudily through without impediment. Every well-executed, off-time flurry is as intoxicating as the last, which leads to ovation after the finale.

With a musical resume like that of Fear Factory, it's a bit of a shock when the industrial titans are totally anaemic from the word ‘go’.  The good decision to play a career-spanning set-list goes in their favour, and the temptation of shout-along to their mostly simplistic choruses often becomes too much to resist. All the hits aside, having to witness ol Burt struggle though the chorus of 'Linchpin' makes for painful viewing and the persistence of newer tracks falling foul of tried and tested formulae challenges the patience. The result; a soggy quagmire of what should have been a blistering performance.

If someone can pump the life back in to this show, it is Devin Townsend and his band of merry men. For the first time in a while, the handsome virtuoso has had his fair share of criticism after the release of this year’s 'Epicloud' but any lasting hold soon becomes a distant memory when opener 'Supercrush' rubs shoulders with the likes of 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Vampira.' Other spectacular set-list treats are an acoustic rendition of 'Hyperdrive' and the utter cheese of 'Lucky Animals' rocking our asses off. The leading man has a penchant for ensuring that every person in the audience has a good time and is an ode to not taking yourself too seriously

As far as live shows go, you will be hard-pushed to find something that incorporates as much logic as it does confusion, or as much gravitationally devouring frontman-ship as utter hilarity. As long as Devin Townsend plays the pied piper, the masses will follow and I think we can be safe to assume that – whatever he sets his hand to – he will never disappoint.