The night began with female fronted band Mummy Smack. I was interested to see this band at the beginning purely because of their name! Every time I hear “female fronted”, I immediately think another No Doubt wannabe band then, but thankfully this wasn’t the case. Vaguely like Brody Dalle, if I really have to compare; a very powerful and almost masculine voice fronted Mummy Smack. When thinking of a word to describe them, thrash keeps popping up in my head. They definitely weren’t thrash as in the thrash metal/hardcore sense of the word, but more thrashing! Fantastic guitar riffs littered every song, with heavy drumming complementing it perfectly.

Next up were Seconds Out. This band played a fairly good set, but were nothing special. The drummer was putting all his energy in to playing but the guitarist and bassist seemed to lack confidence at first. The vocals weren’t sang with every effort; he seemed to keep backing away from the microphone as if it were gonna bite him! In all fairness, they had a few technical difficulties, and the line up has changed pretty recently, so perhaps things need working on a little more before we get their best.

Next - the Burning Coalition boys were back in town! Returning from various universities around the country for a few days, they graced us with their presence and played a great set, even though vocalist Roo started off somewhat badly, declaring “I need a poo, but I won’t go now else you’ll all complain at me” (his words, I swear)! They definitely seemed happy and comfortable to be back in the familiar surroundings of the Phoenix, and played a set that proved it, giving it all they had. Their memorable punk tunes blasted into the cavern, as well as some new ones they’d written while absent from the Plymouth gig scene.

I Am The Door took to the stage next. This band had a lot of stage presence, which was encouraging, and they got more of a crowd gathering round than the rest of the bands that evening. I wasn’t entirely sure if I liked this band or not. I know that sounds weird, but I think it’s one of those bands you either love or hate. They had a rather indie/almost-country-vibe to them, and the vocalist, in truth, reminded me of the vocalist from The Calling, which he probably won’t be glad to hear. However, they played a tight set, giving it all they had, and definitely all seemed to know what they were doing, acting incredibly relaxed on stage.

Unfortunately, I left before Koda came on, and I couldn't find anyone sober enough to tell me what they'd been like! But apart from me missing the headliners, the night had been good with nice variations in musical genre.

Reviewed By Luce