The Saddle Inn in Chester has reinvented itself as The Saddle Rock Bar, and is trying its hand at a few ways to generate the appropriate vibe (including band themed bedrooms in the hotel section!). One of these ventures is to use the renovated outhouse as a tiny gig venue called G21. It probably only holds 35ish people but is free to hire and is perfect for young aspiring bands putting on intimate gigs. Ryan and I make our way through the already busy pub (there’s a Foo Fighters tribute band on in the main pub later that night) and across the beer garden. Having had a chat with some of headliners Aleya (awesome chats I should add) we make our way into G21. They tell us that when they turned-up they needed to sort the lighting, cabling, sound, etc. and they’ve obviously put in a lot of unexpected work to get this tiny venue ready for the eager punters. It’s actually a really cool and cute little space - like a Bedouin tent with chandeliers. It reminds me of some of my own early forays into DIY punk-ethic gigs. There’s what turns out to be a decent little built in PA system to complement any sound from the stage sound, and all-in-all it’s an excellent space for what’s needed tonight.

First up are Wrexham’s The Perfect Escape. Immediately I pick-up on the Funeral For a Friend and Waterdown vibes. The dual vocals come from the dual guitarists and there are some wonderful moments of harsh vocals underlaying the clean vocals that bring a smile to my face. In fact, the clean vocals and harmonies are excellent especially considering the lack of monitoring – pitched well and with a warm rounded element. Plenty of sevenths on guitar give that angular sound, but there’s a delightful early Noughties feel to the set with a mix of Alkaline Trio and Avenged Sevenfold aspects on display. It’s great to see maybe 15 or so people here early for the band too, and the atmosphere in the room is building already.

Next come Manchester’s post-hardcore champions Oaths. Having recently signed with artist management Unearthed Music I’m intrigued to see a couple more band members than I was guessing would figure. Having not seen them as a three-piece I can only say that the five-piece configuration is fantastic! There are glorious lashings of Every Time I Die, Rolo Tomassi and Alexisonfire throughout the set. Michaela Byron-Hehir is a bonafide superstar, with a triple-threat of vocals, guitarwork and dynamic stage presence. Her energy is infectious and she seemingly can only keep still when she drops to her knees thrashing her guitar in brutal fury. To be fair the entire band are dynamos that prowl, strut and command the audience’s attention. They’re a very slick outfit that still manage to keep you feeling that they’re operating on the edge of danger. The mix of vocals from the three very different voices works perfectly, and the guitar, bass and drums are intricate while still delivering that post-hardcore punky chaos - powerful melodies are punctuated by brutally punky metal and hardcore elements. I can’t wait to see these again as soon as possible and just wish I’d bought one of their t-shirts when I had the chance!.

Local headliners Aleya have a packed room as they switch the main chandelier lights off (I save a thought for Ryan taking the photos at this point). Having seen them fairly recently support Sertraline in Manchester I’m looking forward to more of their cross-genre offering. Their take on tech-metalcore mixes in large elements of new nu-metal and I still stick by my description of Bury Tomorrow style song-process, through Blood Youth new nu-metal heaviness, out to Northlane or Erra influenced tech-metal. Single ‘Man of Glass’ showcases their sound perfectly – Sam Lawson’s subtle tech-guitar noodling layered with soulful riff work, post-hardcore tinged modern Metal bass and drums providing the dynamic range from Michael Washington and James Wright, and the varied vocals Tom Evans offers are spot-on switching from rounded clean tones to powerful guttural growls on cue. Their nuanced sound naturally works better in a fully mixed stage setup, with the vocals tonight missing that reverb/delay and the bass a little dry in tone, but that doesn’t detract at all from what is a vibrant, passionate and professional delivery of some exciting modern metal songs. The place is bouncing and a moshpit in such a tiny room is quite a sight to behold! I can’t wait to see how they continue to develop and hone their style and sound hopefully over the next couple of years, because the potential is here in abundance and already beginning to show fruition.