ANOTHER birthday gig, my favourite type of musical event. So birthday wishes to Aaron for this one.

Plus it was at The White Hart, which is always well attended with a great atmosphere.

First band up were Rocco Lampones, a Basingstoke melodic hard-core band who sport star line-up names and they delivered a really awesome performance. This was fast, exciting music played really well with a lot of passion. Fantastic start to the evening.

Next up, Ill Gotten Gains, who in spite of being local and being in existence for over three months, were only just making their debut in town. They play amazingly good ska-punk, just exactly how it should be played, consequently they are building up a devoted following very quickly indeed.

Not too sure about the 'red-neck' theme though - no one wears white vests anymore. I hope to catch them plenty more times as the year progresses.

Midway slot was taken by Belle and the Bullets who not only brought a bit of glamour to the evening, but a bit of a change of pace. The guys laid down a good solid bluesy-rock musical environment, whilst Kristy captivated us with her delightful vocals.

It was not as heavy as I usually go for, but I do have more than one dimension and I heartily approve of musical bills which provide a diverse and complementary selection of music.

Things changed again with perennial favourites Kamikaze Test Pilots from Reading. I suppose I would loosely describe these guys as hard-rock but that really does not do justice to the full range of musical styles they play in.

The hard rock has a good dusting of metal, with other influences from their roots back in Africa also prominent. We were also treated to a reggae number too and they really got the crowd shaking their thing.

The headline band were pretty much a Basingstoke institution. Classic heavy metal gods Karrion will always pack out a local venue and in all probability see it drunk dry too.

The fact they have been laying low just recently made the show all the more sweet and they belted out all their old favourites, plus a few really awesome new songs. Sweeter still, their latest album was released and after show sales were brisk.

A big thanks  to all the bands who played, to Aaron for being born and to the manager and staff for a fantastic Saturday night of entertainment.

Neil Duncan, ISSUEPUNKZINE