There are those who feel that the extreme end of our music all sounds the same. They just see and hear a blanket of over-whelming white noise and don’t get the subtleties and textures. To the unacquainted, all three bands here tonight could be accused of being noise for noise sake, but actually there is far far more to them. 

Cruelty are by far the most brutal and raw of the three. They come across as untamed and feral in their approach to stage craft and hurl themselves around with no regard for their own safety. These youngsters from the Midlands seem to spend their twenty five minute set intent on exorcising personal demons. Musically, they are frantic and corrosive. There is melody and structure here, but you have to work hard to find it. They may be wild and primal, but they are also infectiously energising. They simply burn off the stage in a blur of flailing limbs and intense facial expressions. Harsh but still highly interesting.

From the moment that Palm Reader take the stage, it is obvious that there is something very special here. Alongside the jagged post hardcore, there are snatches of something else. If I listen carefully, underneath the rampant heaviness I am getting whiffs of what I can only describe as indie. Every so often an out of place flourish appears, completely flummoxing you about where this is going. The pieces don’t quite fit together for me until we get to fifth track 'Coalesce' and then suddenly the sheer scale and scope of what they are trying to achieve becomes apparent. Suddenly, they transcend hardcore and head off in, what feels like, about fifty different directions. Over six minutes there is a veritable feast of ideas and ambitions. Every note and riff is distinct and unique. I am utterly intoxicated by this heady mix of colossal riffs and then fragile breakdowns. With one single track they manage to put themselves head and shoulders above anyone else operating in this space. And then we get 'The Turn’, which is even better. It is U2 reimagined as a hardcore act. It is anthemic, sweeping and widescreen, but still with distinct brittle edges. They finish with ‘I Watch the Fire Chase My Tongue'  from the earlier album “Beside the Ones We Love”. Still highly inventive it does slightly suffer coming after two literally game changing tunes. I am utterly smitten. There is something so different, so unique and so exciting. I am now counting down the days to the next record.

One of the joys of doing this reviewing malarkey is watching a band evolve and develop before your eyes. Seeing a new act fulfil their potential and begin to hone their craft is, for me, far more exciting than seeing some enormous act go through their soulless paces. Employed To Serve have always seemed to be doing things on their terms. There are no gimmicks here or shortcuts, just hard work and conviction. Tonight however feels like they are taking another seismic leap in their development. They come across this evening as confident and content in their grasp of their stage craft. They feel like a cohesive unit with Sammy Urwin, Richard Jacobs and Marcus Gooda all playing an equal role alongside Justine Jones in carrying the show. For the entire show the focal point is not one single person and instead all four of them equally share the spotlight and manage to prove that they are all highly adept at whipping up the crowd. After the brilliance of Palm Reader, they have a point to prove, but thankfully they are on stunning form. The sound is crystal clear and there is a level of professionalism that shines through. It is a highly energetic and heartfelt performance, but it also feels well-rehearsed and realised. They have deduced that being in a band is far more than just turning up and playing.

‘Harsh Truth' is particularly brilliant tonight, with the band coming across more like a hip hop collective than a hardcore act from Woking. They prowl the stage, squaring up to the audience and spitting the lyrics out like they were toxic. 'Half Life' is also excellent, pristine and minimal in his jagged pounding riffs. It then explodes into a fantastically spiralling almost Dream Theater like ending. Wonderful. The set is short (I could have done with the other four tracks from “Eternal Forward Motion” but I am greedy that way) but aside from that it is pretty much a faultless gig. They just seem to be so comfortable in their own skins, so in control of their style and direction and so synchronised and connected as a band. We get an encore of “The Warmth of a Dying Sun’s” 'Good Nothing ‘and 'Platform 89' (the latter dedicated with respect to the geezer in the Ackercocke t-shirt, which just so happens to be me) and then with a pledge to meet everyone who wants to at the merch stage after, they are gone. I cannot stress enough just how good they are tonight. As a unit they have bonded and intertwined like I never thought possible. They music is still intense and confrontational, but the delivery is now so seamless and smooth. As said, I have watched with awe as they have developed so far, after tonight I can’t wait to see where they go next.