Each band were gifted a longer set as Infradig pulled out at the twelth hour, well, about half-past four.

Heavy metallers Protocol had the honour of cutting ribbon on the annual event and gave a confident display. The quintet are typical of their genre except for the presence of a female singer who's self-belief and buoyancy helped propel her band into the next round. Protocol's songs are all strong and show swift signs of uniqueness but ultimately offer nothing new and are very easily compared to big-hitters Iron Maiden and Metallica. Third track This Is My Fortress includes a cute Egyptian intro but quickly returns to the bands' safe and secure, non-experimental metal.

Over-fuzzy

Being brought up on The Who, The Kinks and The Stones, Listen Up found itself relatively unqualified to pass judgement on For My Anger, but with a stage show like this they'll go far in the competition. The six-piece band drew a huge crowd to the front and even attracted a somewhat extreme moshpit a few rows back. Musically they are an angry bunch, over-fuzzy bass and power chords churning round and round whilst the two-pronged vocal section screams black murder over the top. Visually and as an experience, they are something else entirely, conveying immense passion and energy, filling the stage, and interacting with fans. Against the will of sanity, if there is a market for them then they could yet prove a local success story.

Home Made Memory started promisingly. A clear sound and songs littered with prickly riffs, they blend the harsh underworld of For My Anger with a tender, American punk temptations, two separate singing voices providing a convincing contrast between calm versus anger. Sadly the trio's set fell apart on the snapping of a string, when inexperience reared its ugly head and five minutes of a twenty minute set were wasted and the audience's concentration lost. The remainder of the set was undertaken in a nervous, edgy environment which pretty much sealed their fate.