Th1rt3en is lucky for some

Megadeth, Sanguine
Electric Ballroom

Megadeth’s first headlining set on British soil since an off-date on the Priest Feast tour along with Testament, in Newcastle three years ago – hardly the most accessible part of the country. For those who have missed their two Download festival appearances since, it’s been a long time coming to see the Arizona-based thrashers. That the band are playing a club venue only adds to expectation from the capacity crowd, which included a few famous faces fresh from Download appearances.

And Megadeth don’t disappoint. Opening with the ferocious Never Dead from latest album, Thirteen, the pace doesn’t relent as they hurtle into Head Crusher and set-stalwarts Hangar 18 and She-Wolf. However, the evening’s set has more emphasis on the band’s more melodic material. A very rare outing for Foreclosure of a Dream, in preparation for the Countdown to Extinction 20th Anniversary shows in Argentina later in the year, goes down very well with a surprisingly high number of the apparently partisan crowd singing along.

The band, consisting of frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine, returning bassist David Ellefson, drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick, are in fine form and seem to be enjoying themselves on stage. Mustaine is warm in between songs aside from dealing with someone in the crowd talking over him and when expressing his displeasure at the resident soundman.

After somehow contriving to not play any UK dates supporting the brilliant Endgame album, the band are ensuring that Thirteen isn’t anywhere near as neglected with the triple-salvo of Guns, Drugs and Money, Whose Life (Is It Anyways) and Public Enemy No. 1. A rousing run through of Symphony of Destruction, whose every note is sang by the assembled Droogies, finishes the set before the band return for a frantic encore of Peace Sells and Holy Wars.

As Silent Scorn plays over the PA and Mustaine ends with his usual refrain of “You’ve been great, we’ve been Megadeth”, it’s hard not to think that tonight Mustaine is selling himself short – the Electric Ballroom witnessed something special tonight.