Meltdown Metal Fest 2007 - Barfly - Sun 30th September.

Another Brucie-bonus day - 9 (scheduled) bands for a tenner - got to be a result...

This one was run by Chris who again did a sterling job. Suicide Watch didn't make the day so the 8 bands on the bill were;

I Hate You More. Great start - hardcore band, great sound, set a tremendously high standard for those following. Album due 2008 will be monitoring closely - these guys could make it.

Rotunda. I am eternally grateful that punk came along in the Seventies for three reasons.

1. It scared the shit out of most.
2. It paved the way for thrash, death, metalcore and all things metal ... and most importantly
3. It proved a welcome distraction from the great evil that was disco.

Having said that, with the notable exception of the Sex Pistols, The Damned, Dead Kennedys and possibly Anti Nowhere League, I have never been a great fan of punk in general - always found it a bit too simplistic (oops gave away my Prog leanings!). Did what they did well, with conviction and you can't ask for more than that.

Haxan. Oh dear. Trying to be too many things - doom, death, black, prog - a mess, left for the chippy shortly into their third (alleged) tune.

I Am Colossus. Didn't do much for me either. Doom/ death/ sludge - powerful at times but riffs didn't develop into anything of substance.

Godsize. Hardcore/ punk. Frequent departures from the stage by lead vocalist, enjoyed more than Rotunda but would backtrack to my earlier comments.

Conquest Of Steel. Cliched battle metal but great fun. Vocalist didn't have a great night but being picky - enjoyable for half an hour, not sure what a full set would be like (the memories of Dragonforce still haunt me...)

Assert. So I think you know what I think of punk. Another punk band... hmmmm..... Great drummer quite probably not human (haven't seen many thrash or death drummers hit a kit that hard or fast). In spite of my earlier comments really enjoyed these guys - been around for a while, great frontman, very energetic as a band, deserved a far better response from a strangely subdued and apathetic crowd.

Benediction. The local boys return. Saw them years ago at the Astoria 2 supporting Death and was suitably impressed. Intriguigingly the album they were promoting on that tour, Transcend The Rubicon, formed the cornerstone for the set. Classy - you can tell when a band have been around for a while; great to see they are still enjoying it and generating such power.

To summarise; first time I had been to The Barfly and suitably impressed - good accoustics, about the right capacity. More varied than the Reanimator gig, but enjoyable in a different way. Great value for money, shame about the low turnout and subdued audience response throughout the day.