Falling on the exact same night that Guns 'N' Roses, Deftones and Clutch call into town to play Download warm up shows, the Garage is impressively full by the time local boys Hey Colossus treat us to their skull rattling din. Gargantuan sludgy riffs, throat ripping growls and even a splash of understated krautrock are all expertly blended together, and when an excellent run through of Fang's 'The Money Will Roll Right In' is tossed into the mix, it's abundantly clear as to why the London press have been getting so excited about this bunch as of late.

Aussie quintet The Scare quickly manage to shake off any ill-conceived preconceptions by ripping the stage apart as if they were opening the new Wembley stadium, having already downed the entire bills rider, rather than playing second on a midweek punk bill on a lazy, nondescript summer evening. They may misleadingly appear like just another quintessential retro "the" band, but their striking combination of latter day Blood Brothers art-rock and the degenerate f*ck you attitude of The Icarus Line means that they're one tremendous surprise package.

Never ones to be outshone, The Drips hit the stage running with 'Broken', and it's barely past the minute mark before vocalist Matt Caughthran launches himself headfirst into his loving audience. As with their eponymous debut, there's no great revolution in sound to be found here, but sometimes this kind of heart on your sleeve, rough around the edges show is as pure and cathartic as it gets. Caughthran is, as ever, a captivating focal point, spending just as much time in the crowd as onstage, pouring every last bit of energy into the show and humorously goading the crowd about America's impending World Cup triumph. The break neck pace eventually relents for the gorgeously somber single, '16, 16, Six', however normal service is rapidly resumed afterwards with crowd surfers soon raining down onstage, before the double whammy of 'Downbrown' and 'Coastline' finish things off thrillingly.

Along with Modern Life Is War, and of course The Bronx, The Drips are one of the few bands around at the moment truly carrying aloft the punk-rock flag with consummate pride. Be sure you don't miss out.

Rating: 4/5 by Dan Jones

Further links

Hey Colossus.com

Online home of the London based noise merchants

The Scare.net

Official site of adopted Aussies The Scares

The Drips.com

Webular home of L.A. punk rockers The Drips