Six bands on the bill at The Athletic Club in Rushden, so it’s an early start for newly-formed Dead Letter District (3/6). This is only their fourth gig but that hardly shows as they produce a powerful set and in Steve, their tall and gangly frontman, they have a real character. He has a unique style that goes from whimsical inaction one instant to a screaming, epileptic puppet the next. He engages the audience in a very natural way and this is a promising performance.

Welwyn Garden City’s 2FeetWide (2/6) follow, but the majority of the crowd, head off for a fag break so its an uphill struggle for this slightly out of place, melodic hardcore outfit. There is a backing track that appears to run for the whole set and this causes some awkward pauses between numbers. There is a lot of fussing and fiddling with equipment and this detracts from the performance which, although energetic, somehow feels a bit over-prepared and therefore slightly lacking in conviction.

Northampton’s Held Beneath (3/6) are highly thought of in the area and the consensus is that they have what it takes to go further in the industry. They certainly look and sound like a fuck off, no frills, metal band that a record label would be happy to work with, but the first few songs of tonight’s performance are slightly disappointing. Perhaps this band need a longer set as they start off with little dynamism; the intensity only increasing as the crowd gets bigger. The last few tracks are top notch, however, tight as two coats of paint, igniting vigorous moshing and rapture throughout with the band hitting a sweet spot that starts to justify the buzz that is around them at the moment.

Determined to play whenever the opportunity arises is a trait of North Wales’ Blessed By Bellona (3/6). It’s not the band’s first visit to the area and when you consider that to get to the venue will have taken them about five hours cross-country, you can appreciate the commitment. The band has gone through a certain amount of re-branding for 2009 and the live performance buys into the current popularity of the deathcore scene. It’s a solid if unoriginal set, hampered by the distraction of an impromptu tag-team wrestling match (complete with fake referee) that breaks out on the dance floor. New songwriting of less generic material will help develop the band’s sound as they have a good overall feel.

According to their professional-looking MySpace page, the originally-named Bill Snide (5/6) want to escape from the “trappings” of a small town. Most of the crowd, now pretty much packing the place, have come to see how these local favourites get on. There are probably two main reasons why this band has captured the imagination of their young fans; firstly the musicians gel naturally together to create an extreme live sound that has the ability to reach levels of intensity which you very rarely experience. The second reason is the band’s frontman, Chett, who has that elusive quality known as charisma. He has it in abundance and when paired with his voice (which, when in the higher register becomes a fifth instrument) creates a heady combination with the rest of the band. This is incendiary stuff, sparking off frenzied, seething pits and general mayhem that, at times, almost spills over into something uncontrollable. The yearned for escape and bigger things seem a real possibility for Bill Snide.

The carnage that is the aftermath of Bill Snide’s set doesn’t bode well for headliners Sacred Mother Tongue (3/6), but although some of the younger members of the audience have left the building totally spent, they are replaced with a more mature group of metalheads that have magically appeared from the shadows. All eyes are immediately on Josh Gurner, the all-action bass player, as he leaps from the stage, with his wireless pack attached, for the opening track and things bode well for a top-class set. In fact, the bassist, guitarist and drummer all give exemplary performances, showing off their playing skills from start to finish. The problem is that the previous band’s presence still lingers in the room and this puts the onus on singer Darrin South to reach the same heights and, although there is nothing intrinsically wrong with what he does, he looks and sounds just a little bit dated and his performance feels slightly flat by comparison. The band’s sound is mature and rounded with some great slap bass and glittering guitar solos and its clear that this will be lapped up by a more traditional metal audience. It’s just tonight, being the headline act is a bit of a poisoned chalice. Perhaps SMT will fair better when they play Download Festival next month.

Venue: Athletic Club, Rushden

Date: 9 May 2009