The night began with a young band, Salt In Open Wounds, taking to the stage and giving a good show. The singer could have done with a bit more practice, but generally, they were a very talented ska band, with enjoyable brass riffs and catchy songs. I was especially impressed by the female drummer, who was certainly giving the kit reason to scream out in pain. Willingly, the crowd got moving straight away, and didn't seem to stop all night, let alone simply Salt In Open Wounds' set.

Next up came Phoenix regulars, Whole Truth. They very rarely give a bad performance, but neither do they ever amaze me and play as they have never played before. However, their set was enjoyable, with lots of audience participation thrown in for good measure, and the raw, raunchy punk tunes they belt out never seem to tire themselves out.

Then Sadie's Doll took to the stage. I was really, really taken aback by this band. The singer had an absolutely incredible voice, and took full advantage of it. Their songs were surprisingly mellow but still had that dance-around-like-a-fool ska vibe to them. They also gave an impressive version of a Bob Marley song towards the end of their set, which was extremely well done.

Finally, the night's headliners stormed the Phoenix - The Filaments were in town. And you could hear them, probably wherever you were in the South-West. They were the kind of band you knew were gonna keep up the crazy, seemingly drug-induced energy they began with, until the very end of their last song, and probably hours after that. And they did. The crowd went CRAZY. The songs were fast paced and abundantly coarse, played with such enthusiasm that the crowd responded by screaming their heads off and throwing themselves around within an inch of their lives. The excellent riffs and heavy drum beats really complemented each other, and the intensity of the vocalist's abusive voice probably made parts of the tavern's ceiling fall down. The Filaments were awesome...and they knew it.

Written by Luce