OH happy Thursday!

I literally did not find out about this show until the afternoon and promptly cancelled my plans for a quiet night in.

Instead I headed off to Sanctuary to see three really awesome hardcore bands play the last night of what had been a very successful tour.

Opening up were Basingstoke's very own Artemis - who have recently released an EP with a couple of very good new tracks. They were on top form, with a good size crowd and plenty of supporters to cheer them on. I have never seen them better that this.

The were followed by Employed to Serve from Woking who are making a lot of waves right now. They have an amazing female singer who gives all the guys a run for their money with the power and punch of her performance. Very heavy and very fast with a lot of animation, both from the band and the crowd. They really are something special and a band I will look to seeing again very soon.

The headline band were Failure to Follow from Bristol - but to be honest, the quality of all three bands is the same, any of them could have played last. These guys however were new to me and I think they might have just pipped the other bands in terms of raw energy and a brutal performance.

They had me wishing that I had could a few more shows in this tour - I think I would have seen a five-star spectral every night.

As ever, many thanks to all the bands, to Rockbitch promotions and to the management and staff of the Venue for an excellent, pre-weekend night out.

Neil Duncan, ISSUEPUNKZINE