Blacklisters were well worth turning up early for. A jerky, abrasive, feedback-filled howl of spasmodic, psychotic din, a fight to the death between Action park-era Shellac and The Jesus Lizard, their sound is twitchy, crazed and angular. The rhythm section is truly thunderous. Billy hollers and howls indecipherable lyrics about things like being born with swords instead of arms ('Swords') like he's utterly demented, and it's all delivered at ear-bleeding volume. Hell, these guys were worth the entry fee alone, and were going to be a hard act to follow.
Talons offered something quite different. I was sceptical on seeing them take to he stage with a lineup consisting of bassist, drummer, two guitars and two... violins. And they looked so young! However, they delivered - with remarkable skill and confidence - a kind of instrumental post-rock folk-metal hybrid that was genuinely impressive. Consequently, Stagecoach's lightweight Good Charlotte / Green Day punk-pop felt even more superficial and not just a little out of place in comparison.
Things pick up with Holy State, who make a fairly unholy din. You couldn't describe them as an 'image' band, that's for sure. They're uncool to the point of nerdy, and, being misfits, they're outsiders. They're also pissed off, and channel this into a set that fizzes from start to finish. There's no let-up in tempo from beginning to end, with their sound defined by edgy guitars, low-slung grinding bass, meaty percussion and shouted vocals. Yes, they sound like they should be signed to Touch and Go.
These Monsters didn't impress me too much with their studio tracks on line, but live, they're a screaming mess of a band. Pouring sweat and slugging back wine, it's hard to tell if the singer's (ok, it's not really singing) drunk or always this mental. I suspect it's a bit of both. Whatever, it's a sharp and weighty riff-heavy set, with a manic edge and some wild sax that really sets them apart. Beautiful chaos.
It's after eleven when Pulled Apart by Horses take to the stage, and the crowd's buzzing with anticipation. The second the band start up, the place erupts. It's easy to see why they've managed to earn their reputation as an amazing live band: the energy these guys put into the songs, and radiate from the stage is staggering, and like a sonic supernova the songs explode from the speakers. In a lineup dominated by bands influenced and inspired by US hardcore acts, all of whom, are resolutely non-mainstream and uncompromisingly abrasive and all of whom are of a remarkable calibre, Pulled Apart by Horses still manage to sound special, and to an immensely enthusiastic home crowd, they deliver a show that feels like an event - a real launch, rather than just another gig.
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Even the poppier tracks on the album, notably 'High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive,' are attacked with a breathtaking ferocity and at an increased tempo from the studio counterpart. There's a lengthy instrumental section while singer Tom Hudson disappears into the moshpit mayhem that is the crowd. It's carnage: bodies are everywhere, crowd-surfing, stage diving, it's a flurry of limbs and it's hotter than hell in the little venue with a big PA. The brilliantly-titled 'I Punched a Lion in the Throat' is announced and the intensity meter goes off the scale.
Time flies, and in what feels like a matter of minutes, it's all over. Pulled Apart by Horses leave the state triumphant, and the sweat-drenched audience leave exhausted and deafened but happy. More than just a gig, more than just an album launch, but an explosive showcase of the immense talent on the Leeds scene right now.
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