Billy Talent played melodic, straight-up heavy rock. Nothing wrong with that but why did they have to be so angsty about it?

All those microphone stand-trashing tantrums did them no favours.

Their humourless, macho metal bluster paled beside the heart-clutching intensity of the Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster.

Anyone with any taste knows the Matchbox are one of the greatest bands on Earth and all comparisons are futile.

However, suffice to say they've tightened up their act and glammed up their look so now the messy strut of the New York Dolls is there next to the blitz and fury of early Cramps or Stooges.

Some might miss the sheer unhinged chaos of old but as the band graduate to bigger stages, they've got to move on musically somehow and the new sound is a logical progression.

One tune was almost - shock! horror! - a ballad and very good it was, too, ending in repeated screams of "wild boar".

Elsewhere, a shaggy-maned Guy told how he intended to "fly like an eagle" and "make love like a panther". Nature calls, obviously.

Jane's Addiction walked on to a heroes' welcome and knew how to make the most of it.

Guitarist Dave Navarro was bare-chested with a stick-on Abe Lincoln beard (last worn by Peaches), while Perry Farrell was an all-jumping, all-wiggling hybrid of Iggy Pop, Larry Grayson and Mr. Motivator, mincing and aerobicising across the stage like nobody's business.

After a high-energy first half, including Strays from the new album and their biggest hit, Been Caught Stealing, the rest of the set was fairly ballad-heavy, concentrating on recent songs such as Everybody's Friend and True Nature.

And then, following an encore of Jane Says, with Stephen Perkins on steel drums, they were gone by 10.30pm.

There was something of pantomime about the whole performance - the way the whole band lined up to take their bows at the end, with Farrell a creepy, dark-hearted Peter Pan who has definitely aged while still never growing up.

But, like Peter, so long as you believe in him, he will never go away.

Review by Ben Graham, features@theargus.co.uk