(picture of Milburn playing London Calling, taken with my crappy phone)London Calling, a two-day festival in Paradiso, gives British (and sometimes American) bands a chance to, after they have conquered Britain, to impress the rest of Europe as well. Bands that have been doing well in England but haven't toured much outside of it take the stage, and last Friday, when I was around, those bands were Boy Kill Boy, Milburn, The Rifles, 747s, The Holloways, Little Man Tate, The Klaxons, and The Young Knives, and the last two I unfortunately couldn't see because I had to take the train back in time.I could only see the first three songs of Boy Kill Boy due to that reason as well, but I liked what I saw. Sure, it might be a tad more mainstream than the rest of the program, but I liked it regardless. They had put together a professional act with some nice and catchy tunes, and I was a bit sad that I couldn't see them perform their bigger hits like "Suzie" or "Civil Sin".I did see most of the rest of them though. The day started off with The Holloways performing on the small stage. I really liked them. They have some catchy tunes and they seemed to have fun, and they sounded very nice. Too bad two (!) of their guitar strings broke, and reserve equipment either wasn't at hand or was shaky. So that caused their sound to go down a notch, but they were a very nice addition to the program and they have a fun sound.Then it was off to the main stage to see Little Man Tate, the biggest disappointment of the show. Not really because of their music, because that sounded okay, but unfortunately the lead singer annoyed the heck out of me. I got the feeling that he thought he was the man, and I thought he came over a bit arrogant. Furthermore, everything they did seemed to be calculated instead of spontaneous. The Holloways before them were jumping up and down on the stage, while here the leadsinger made all those hand gestures accompanying the lyrics, which I thought looked really cheesy. And although the music was nice, their songs aren't that good that it could stop me from getting annoyed by watching them.So off to the small stage again, where the 747s took the stage. Between all the pop/rock/punk/rave acts, this band maybe was a bit of a surprise for many, as their songs are not as danceable as the rest of the program. But I liked their album a lot. "Death of a Star" is great to scream along with ( I SWEEE-AR, I SAAAWWWWW, THE DEATH OF A STAAA-AARRRRR) and "Anxiety" is a great tune. I really liked it, and they sounded really good, though maybe sometimes it was a bit too nice and sweet, and compared to the other bands it lacked a show element and because it wasn't all that rock-ish, it was hard for them to get the crowd involved, most of them who didn't know their songs. And though it might be the least likely band to make it as bona fide festival headliner, they had some very nice songs, they were great to listen too, and they sounded really good.So, 2-0 for the small stage, and the next act on the main stage wasn't all that jazz either. I'm not saying The Rifles aren't good, and they have one or two songs that really can get me going ( Peace and Quiet for one), but by the time they hit song number five, I can't escape the feeling it sounds a lot like song one and two, which in their turn sound like stuff that other rock bands prior to them have already done in the past decade or two. They are a solid rock band, but I thought they miss something that make them stand out. Also, they didn't make a show out of it, and just played their tunes, which, for the most part with 1 or 2 exceptions, sounded like each other and songs done before by other, older bands.To make it 3-0 for the small stage, Milburn took the stage, and they were the star of the show. A rowdy crowd was jumping, singing along, and bumping into each other while Milburn played a very good show. Songs like "Well Well Well", "Showroom", and "What About Next Time?" are instant live classics, while the closing song, "What You Could've Won" is arguably the best song played that day. The lads of Milburn have no problem at all to get the crowd going, and they sound very good.Also, they are very professional for such a young band. Not only did the singer took the stage with a glass of cola instead of beer, when half the room got up the stage, and he was surrounded on stage by maybe twenty fans, he just interacted with them a bit and moved over to the microphone of the guitarist and kept on playing the song without losing his composure or his focus. And that twenty people, if not more, took the stage singing and dancing and diving off is evidence enough as to how good the crowd thought Milburn was. A band I definitely hope to see more of.Now, exhausted because of the energetic performance by Milburn, I went to the main stage again to see the first three songs of Boy Kill Boy before I had to get my bag and get to het Leidsenplein, to take a tram to the train station, and then take the last train that could get me home... at 23:30...This was another good edition of London Calling, and I can't wait for the next one. Milburn was absolutely fantastic and The Holloways and 747s were very enjoyable. As soon as their is audio and video online I will post some.Today the second day of the festival is in progress, including performances by The Automatic and Jamie T. I opted to go on Friday as I had to choose, but I'm sure today will be a great day for the fans there as well.