Grudge 13 were the metal in tonight's festivities, and to be honest, although it wasn't bad, I've forgotten anything about them to be able to write much.

Bombshell Rocks played here under a week ago with the Dropkick Murphys in a gig I couldn't get into as it was sold out. And it looks like they must've made some friends, because there's a highly impressive turnout. Musically it's punk, which for the most part kinda passed me by. There was the occasional highlight such as Underground Radio and the Spirit, but I couldn't help but think it was all competant but uninspiring to me. Which seemed to put me into the minority.

I've never seen 59X before, and I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Much more melodic than I anticipated. But not as insipiring. The standard gesture to get people to move closer then leads into a set which was disappointing at the start but warmed up towards the end. Second track is "Me Against The World" written after waking up and feeling like shit. Sheeesh, wonder how many of those songs there must be lying around. If I was a musician, I'd have a massive supply every year. The Ramones Blitzkreig Bop perhaps indicates partially where they're coming from. Like I said, towards the end it improved in terms of the quality of the songs, but was let down by a hamfisted song that seemed to contain the refrain "Keep it hardcore with 59", which is cheesy to say the least. Start the song highlights the better material, and it all ends with a song that is introduced by something about being hardcore, before being followed by "we love you alllll, as Ozzy used to say." Used to and still does. And is a metal icon not hardcore. But ho-hum, you know my rants about that already. Metal / hardcore. Same base, different clothing.

This little blue CD winged its way to me from deepest Buxton in Derbyshire. Which isn't exactly LA or Sacramento or Bakersfield in terms of the potential lure to doting R&A people. Thank God. It's reflective as well of how cheap things are that nowadays I seem to get as many demos on CD as I do on tape. Almost enough to make you think that retail prices of CDs are excessive don't you think?

Ok, that's all to try and give me a bit of time in the "right, who do they sound like for the lazy comparison" stakes. Tricky that one. They seem to me to be coming from the melodic rock side of things. Maybe a tinge of punky sort of stuff, but not much. As I'm currently on a bit of an emo trip, I could probably say there's a hint of that style in here. Anyway, this self financed EP has 7 tracks on it. And I'm already on to track 2 Deadlock which has a nice fast bit that reminds me of something. I'll come back to it.

Further Down is up now, with a slap sounding bass style going on in the background underpining a fairly heavy guitar thing. And it's just changed direction totally. We're in to a laid back groove now, akin to FNM's Evidence in a "not really like that way but I can't think of a closer example." And it's just got heavy again. Yeah, this is nice, heavy and melodic but slow and introspective and without a hint of LA. Nice stuff. 7 minute epic.

And the production, so often seen to be the bane of demo bands, is perfectly acceptable. In fact it's very nice. Everything a balanced and clear. Don't believe the bollocks that all demos sound crap.

So Vexed is up now, acoustic led but soon giving way

Track 6 features another uncannily familiar riff, God I wish I wish I was so easily able to go "they sound like the Orgasmics with perhaps a touch of the Vibrettos thrown in" that every other zine seems to be able to do. Why is it things can remind me of something, but I can't just put my finger on it like that? You’d think that with the amount of music that I listen to, I’d be able to remember things and make accurate comparisons. "It's cos you're crap Dave". Ah thanks, knew it was something simple.Hang on, track 2, that fast bit, got it, NOFX like.

I like this, this is good. I'm not sure if it's enough to set the world on fire, but then, I'm never sure about that. I know what I like and what I think is good and what I would like to succeed, but I wouldn't even like to go near the "requirements for success" as set out by the "business" But good music is good music irrespective of its percevied commercial success. This for me, is good music.

Contact: Flaw. 1 Highfields, Peakdale, Nr Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8AN.

Did you see the letter of the month the other month in Metal Hammer. A guy asking "why" he should be expected to support UK bands just cos they were from the UK when the American’s were doing it better. Damn fine point. Well, with a couple of exceptions.

1) Music is subjective. Only in "your" opinion can some band be better than another. Like this is all my opinion. I gave good reviews to some demos that got lambasted in K! and MH. Although it makes me question my judgement, it matters not, cos it’s simply opinion. You can’t back it up by a proof.

2) So if you don’t support UK bands, what’s going to happen? If you live in the UK. Subsititute whichever country you live in. I’ll tell you. The American bands will suffer. Huh Dave. That makes no sense. Ok, let’s put it like this. Most American bands, even though they may be good and getting good press, couldn’t pull a fly. That’s Most. Not All. They need venues to play when they get here. Venues they can expect to draw a decent crowd to. But if there’s no bands playing those venues very often, because people don’t think they should support UK bands, then are the venues going to exist and remain open? No. Because they are business ventures. If the band’s agents contact a venue to see how many people it normally pulls or could guarantee, what can they say if normally the answer is "fuck all." If the American band can’t guarranttee a certain crowd or ability to fill the venues, do you think they’re going to get the support from the label in order to tour here? The answer is no. Shit, HWP didn’t get the support to tour the States. Sevendust haven’t had their album picked up here. Far would’ve been unlikely to tour without the major support slots they got. So, the knock on effect further down the line, is that if you don’t support the UK scene, the American will suffer. At least over here. Why should bands come to a country where it’s perceived there is nothing? Unless they can make money.

So support the UK scene. After all, it is as good as any other countries. Well, if you are prepared to believe in it. Otherwise we can’t whinge if nothing happens here. I know it may seem like twisted logic. But think about it. Cause and effect. Nothing is isolated in life. Everything is interrelated.