IT was a bitterly cold night that saw me stride purposefully along the Top of the Town amid the mini-skirt and crop-top clad girls. 

Frostbite, I guess, is the new black.

I headed into a slightly less cold Sanctuary for a Lights go Out zine and Rockbitch Promotions hardcore show.

First up were a new outfit called Threepwood from Newbury, I should have asked what that meant, but the inquisitive part of my brain was still thawing out.

Name aside, these guys were amazing, a real breath of fresh air. Fast, entertaining pop-punk/skate-punk and melodic hard-core, all rolled into one exciting ball. It was great fun, pure and simple from a band I hope to see a lot more off in 2015.

Next up were Second in Line, part Newbury, part Basingstoke with a long and illustrious history on the DIY circuit.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Their previous visit to this venue was dogged by a series of unfortunate technical glitches and when a string broke in the first song, the crowd held its collective breath fearing that history was repeating itself.

However, they quickly recovered and blasted off a tremendous set of new material and old favourites, all well received by a growing crowd.

Main support was provided by Demon Smiles from Brighton, a female-fronted three-piece punk band I have not seen before. They built on the foundations laid by the first two bands, with a fast, punchy performance.

Basingstoke Gazette:

 

There was plenty of banter within the band and with the crowd, which is crucial to winning over some new fans. I really enjoyed their style and delivery and just wished there had been a CD there to pick up and take away with me.

The headline band were Drop This a melodic hard-core band from Kent, or rather Medway to be precise, although they seemed neither proud, nor happy that they now have a UKIP MP to represent them.

Basingstoke Gazette:

I had not seen them before, but they completed the hat-trick of bands new to me, who won me over in short order. Lots of banter, lots of fast, aggressive songs - the perfect sort of band to round off what had been a fantastic night.

Thanks to all the bands, kudos to Lights Go Out and Rockbitch and more thanks to the management and staff for a top Saturday night out.

It only remained for me to weave my way through the ice and bikini-clad women to get to my nice warm house and a steaming hot cup of drinking chocolate.

Neil Duncan, ISSUEPUNKZINE