To start the night though was Kent’s own post-metal band Bossk, and their sound of textured, sludgy, epic breed of music which pays to homage to Isis, Pelican, Mono and even Tool. Their 35 minute set comprised of just two songs, which is also their debut E.P in its entirety, played with an awesome sense of confidence and vigour, and at times at extreme velocity and a tightness that proved extremely impressive for such a young band. What’s more is their desire to experiment, and try to make every sound to the best of their ability in a way that isn’t alienating for the listener, and in such is a grand achievement. The most surprising part of their set was when all of a sudden during the peak of ‘II’ a vocalist, who had striking resemblance to Jamie Lenman of Reuben in both looks and sound, appeared on stage while previously not apparently with the band and screamed his heart out and the end of the track violently made it’s way to its climax. Sources later informed us that said vocalist was indeed a member of the band. Bossk’s sound is that of a surprisingly varied one as it weaves in and out of sweeping soundscapes that relax, but still keep you on some sort of suspense, to violent, heavy, aggressive riffs that mirror those of the sludgy blasts of the great Eyehategod and Neurosis themselves. It’s a shame that most of Bossk’s crowd are indifferent Hardcore kids who, like Slayer fans, will be as awkward as possible to support bands, particularly for the mighty Hope Conspiracy, but even some of them could not help but be drawn in by this inspiring set of music, (or perhaps it was the incense the band were burning throughout their set?). Expect big things to come for this band.

So next were local punk ‘n’ rollers The Black Veins, who seem to be getting more and more consistent in being inconsistent in their live performances. Their set starts off rather dubiously with some poor sound levels and a slightly mistimed performance, but once verified, they end the set on a much higher note than they started it, as they got tighter and more and more enjoyable as the set went along; their infamous cover of ‘White Riot’ still being a local favourite round these parts.

Next on was November Coming Fire who’s fast growing reputation as one of the UK’s brightest hopes has done them a great deal of help recently, lucky for them then that it’s totally justified. Whereas they were extremely good back in February when they supported Bleeding Through here, now, they are just stunning. They have developed their sound an incredible amount, and have gone from a “way above average tough guy hardcore band” to a band that has used their potential extremely well and begun to develop their sound a massive amount. They show they’re a force to be reckoned with simply because, they’ve bothered to let a wide range of influences into their music, something hardcore music sadly restricts itself from all to often, and now have an irresistible sound which shows their true desire to be a better band. For instance, although a very talented drummer, in Ross Bones, the way that he actually puts the effort in to make a varied rhythm with appropriate fills for the rest of the band to play against seems a far more talented of playing than being overtly “technical”. They are, for the better term, tight as fuck throughout the set, and sound completely flawless. Sounding like Converge; Modern Life is War, and even elements of Queens of the Stone Age in their new songs, with the same, brutal, raw energy that clearly drew them to hardcore music in the first place. Tetchy, nervous sounds haunt some of their new songs, and a similar energy to that displayed on Converge’s ‘You Fail Me’ record. Ok, they are going through a transitional period; there are times where it seems a little bit forced, but as you cannot expect even the most skilled bands to capture their true potential straight away, it seems very believable that November Coming Fire are becoming a very important band. What accents this point is how they collide raw, energy only the best hardcore bands produce, with an almost experimental side of music which plays down on the fact that they are a hardcore band at all; essentially, NCF are trying to balance the relation between hardcore and experimental, less obvious music, in a subtle way that nearly anyone can pick up. And they are succeeding, by a vast amount. Thus, by the time their next record comes along, they could well be one of the best sounds to come out of the UK for some time.

And so finally, are The Hope Conspiracy, who im sure NCF aspire to become once they achieve their ambitious sound. You could tell it was going to be an epic reaction when many fans were limbering up while waiting for THC to begin, many of them quoted to be saying “I’m so excited!” which is a big reaction to be honest. And they were most certainly not let down. The Hope Conspiracy ripped, thrashed, screamed and just about any other violent adjective you can think of through their set. They were phenomenal. Great sound levels helped a huge deal as they went through an unbelievably tight set where every single song was simply put, an anthem. Their performance is that of the most supreme, passionate hardcore bands and fully justifies the hype that surrounds them. ‘Defiant Hearts’ still sound just an important and haunting as it did in 2002, but when effortlessly performed in front of you, it is something else. A couple weeks ago I wrote about how, relatively new kids on the block Comeback Kid are taking over with their amazing energy, this however, makes Comeback Kid look like nervous puppies lost in a large fair. Not only do THC have the stage presence that creates the crowd to go into absolutely frenzy, (in true hardcore show fashion), but every single song has something to love inside it, and that’s the difference. What is perhaps most exciting though is how THC’s new material sounded even better than their older material; the songs they previewed for the crowd proved that their return is a very special one, and now we are all happily waiting for the new record. One of the most intense, violent performances I have ever witnessed, don’t miss out.

And there you have it, a night where every band was great all for their own reasons, and left a lot of excitement in the hearts of those who could witness it. A great night for music fans.

Adam Turner-Heffer