Ooooh oooo woooah ooo wooooooah yeah. There’s no other way it could start is there? Deep Blue is my guess at the title, giving the repeating of the phrase Deep Blue throughout the track. The guitar is dishing out an inoffensive blues riff, the sort that well exists. Deep Bllooooooo-ooooh. My baby yeah, deep berlooooooo, I love you.

Next is a more rock’n’roll song, at least in that bass line, you know the ones that like walk up and down. It’s called that, a walking bass line. Honest. I can remember from when I was trying to learn the bass. Sounds simple as hell when you hear it, and I could never master the bloody thing. So for this track you could be going back to the 50s and 60s almost for it, wah ooh this time.

The third track brings Thunder to mind. Well it would considering where they’ve formed their career around. Acoustic balladry, Love Will Find A Way. It’s cliche, but it I remove my cynical head for a moment, then it’s catchy enough, there’s some female gospel styleeeed vocals in there and yeah, he does have a good voice - it’s just how you use it isn’t it? It excites some, not others. There’s one that reminds me of Jethro Tull with the flute going on - yes, I can remember them, so what of it?

Next up is another gentle one, some scrunch the face guitar playing, heartfelt. To be honest, if Faith No More did it, I’d have probably gone "wooooshdalaboooooshda, this is so cool". But it doesn’t really move me. Maybe it’s that I can picture the "sincerity" that would be evident on peoples faces as this is played, and I just find that a bit dubious, whereas FNM would not necessarily be taking the piss, but just not seemingly taking it so serious. It’s an illustration that I can still be swayed by my own preconceptions whether I like it or not. We’ve got a wailing guitar one with the piano backing it. All ok, but none of it with the urgency that you kind of want. It’s growing old disgracefully, but in an acceptable manner. I could imagine it on Radio 2.

Available on SPV Records.

Chairs should not be allowed at gigs. Not unless I'm sitting on them. They're taking up nearly half the space here, and so you've got some people sat nice and comfy towards the stage, while people are standing at the back. Shouldn't be allowed really now should it? Specially not at a hardcore gig. This is about getting close to the action isn't it?

Oh and pass me the walking stick. How much younger are bands going to get. I mean, it's not me getting old, I know that much. Diasphere are young. And since I saw them a week or so later and the review of that gig is elsewhere in here, I’ll say no more for now and instead let you go and find that one. Once you’ve finished reading all this of course.

Out For The Count are next. I'm a bit more sceptical than most, so Steve may have bought the CD before they play, but me, I'm going to wait first. I'd heard they play a Sick Of It All style, and given my undoubted hardcore pedigree (I'm not some long haird metaller hanging on the shirt tails of hardcore for some credibility, oh no, not me. I'm like the short haired metal kids hanging on the shirt tails of hardcore, I loooove it), if it's like SOIA then there's two things. One: it's a good thing, cos I still reckon SOIA are the best HC band around and Two: it's a bad thing cos you ain't going to be as good as SOIA.

But anyway, that's definitely the thought that runs through the mind. And it is damn impressive, though the lugholes could've done with them turning the guitar down between tracks instead of gleefully enjoying the feedback that wailed everytime the guitarist wandered in front of the amp. Not big, not clever. Some of us are old and with dodgy hearing y'know! I did buy the CD at the end, so when I've listend to it I can maybe give you titles, but for now, tough. There are a few songs that really stand out with a total shoutalong anthem style feel to them. There's maybe a bit too much of the HC posturing, that bass playing maybe hardcore, but put the same bass in a different musical style, and it's got completely different overtones. Anyway, I'm off to have a listen to the CD now, but if you like SOIA and get the chance to, then check out Out For The Count.

I love hardcore, I really do. I think it's the unity of the whole scene you know. I mean the togetherness. You never get half the crowd disappering after the local bands have finished and their mates are trooping off home. No, never. It's us versus them to the end. And we'll stand united. Won't we? I mean, Circle Again announce they're from Dublin. They're obviously not the ideal headline band, and it would be better for them to place them in the middle of the set. At least it should guarrantee them a decent audience. They're straight-edge, which I'm increasingly finding a bit of a yawn, but they've got a decent sense of humour and humility about them. And I love the way the vocalist when talking to everyone between songs doesn't bother with the microphone. A nice touch. Musically it's pretty much straight down the line straight edge hardcore. Fast and frentic, but lacking the punch of Out For The Count. Still, I bought a demo at the end, so I'll probably have more to say somewhere sometime.