To see Pearl Jam play Leeds this year was to witness the undeniable rejuvenation of a band's soul (see our review on the website). To catch sight of the classic 'Ten' huddle formation during Satan's Bed and later, a teary eyed Eddie Vedder leave the stage following the fully embraced rebel yell encore of Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World, the road home seems complete. Following lacklustre sales and the down trodden lethargy of 2002's 'Riot Act' the sublime grungers took a temporary fall from grace but their recent self-titled LP has arguably catapulted them back to the top. As Stone Gossard told The Skinny earlier in the year: "We pushed each other to make, dare I say, a classic album." Life Wasted is testament to such a bold claim; a thunderous groove from Gossard, Mike McCready and Jeff Ament plus unquestionable skin pounding from Matt Cameron announces the declaration of intent with a snarl. "You're always saying that there's something wrong / I'm starting to believe it's your plan all along" Vedder Caterwauls. No, this is bugger all to with a cheeky lass he met at the chippy or the putty he puts in his hair. This is music that means something from one of the last few classic bands to give us some credit by believing we deserve some. [Johnny Langlands]