When, as he appears pre-encore to rally the troops after a storming set from Warrior Soul, Steelhouse svengali Mikey Evans talks of how he first heard the band in his mate's house (the mate being present and loving it) a couple of decades ago you can't help but totally feel just how much getting a band like this to play a place like this really means; we feel it here at Uber Rock having had to cross a bridge to see every cool band that ever walked the left hand path across this rock 'n' roll world. But now, simply because there are clued-in people who have refused to let the spirit leave them, this shit is coming to us and it is special, this night maybe a little more so than others...

.....but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before Kory Clarke got the chance to exorcise some demons from his last, infamous, trip to this country, Swedish rockers Cheerleader primed the paying punters for what was to come with a very decent support slot that did exactly what every good support band should - set the bar relatively high and get the blood pumping. The band's forthcoming debut album 'Vegas Or Bust' is one of those cool records that comes from out of nowhere and impresses enough to make you think that the band could be around for some considerable time to come. They're not the finished article by some stretch - both on record and live - but they have enough, like the majority of ass-kicking Swedish rock bands, about them to make you think that their current state could be the finger bang to something fucking great.

Guitarist Joan Vieru came from Swedish outfit Supragod whose 'Army In White' EP housed a stunning cover of 'Punk And Belligerent' featuring Kory Clarke himself, and who also once had current Warrior Soul guitarist Rille Lundell in its ranks. Cheerleader are certainly more of a straight ahead rock band than the headliners though and frontman Joel Ek's comment - "We're from Sweden but don't be scared, we're more likely to kill each other than you" - is as political as it gets. They do have a song called 'Generation Shit' though. They end with the album opener and "radio emphasis track" (God, I love modern music) the excellent 'My Love To Someone Else' and it is a great way to close a cool set. Ones to watch.

The last time I saw Kory Clarke in Wales a mic stand had been thrown to the floor before the end of the opening song and....well....the show was over. Tonight, yes, a mic stand hits the deck before the second song has fully kicked in, quickly followed by a monitor leaving the stage and a ceiling tile and light experiencing a limited skirmish with one of rock's greatest frontmen, certainly one of the few still out there doing things properly without turning into a bloated caricature of their former selves. That the second song is the incendiary 'Fuck The Pigs' from the incredible 'Destroy The War Machine' album, following the 'Four More Years' intro and 'Superpower Dreamland' (both from the 'Last Decade Dead Century' debut) as first song proper, and is followed itself by 'The Fourth Reich' should have immediately informed everyone in the building that the show was to be both a stun gun to the heart and something to be forever remembered.

The 'Space Age Playboys' album was plundered next, with 'No No No' and 'Rotten Soul' making appearances, quickly followed by a deadly duo from 'Chill Pill', 'Song In Your Mind' and 'Shock Um Down'. The final four songs of the main set all come from 1992's classic 'Salutations From The Ghetto Nation'; 'Love Destruction', 'Blown', 'Shine Like It' with an intense version of 'The Party' to close.

"We are the government, we are the government" chanted Clarke as the band returned for a seven song (if you include the 'Intro/Interzone' part) encore that was worth the price of admission alone. 'Hero' is simply stunning, 'The Drug' follows and is of a similar, awesome, vintage. 'Punk And Belligerent' threatens to finally lay out every sceptic in the venue before a 'Last Decade Dead Century' one-two of 'Downtown' and 'The Losers' takes this gig into almost mythical status. That the latter is unrehearsed, with bassist Danny (once of Supragod also, replacing the recently departed Janne Jarvis) seemingly learning it as he goes along, just confirms that the band we are watching are, possibly, the best we will ever see in this venue, in this town, maybe. Kudos to the newly acquired four stringer too for stepping up to the plate at short notice and nailing the entire set, unrehearsed classic and all.

As the final barbs of feedback ring out after 'The Wasteland' stings our ears into submission, there can, surely, be no-one inside this building who hasn't been blown away by what they have just witnessed. With an inspired set list, a great line-up, and Kory Clarke on top form, this may well have been the best that I have ever seen Warrior Soul. Sure, the sound could have been better, but the choice of songs couldn't have been. This was an intense, sweaty, incredible gig in an intimate venue, the kind that you never forget, the kind that forge those 'I was there' moments in your life. This may be because of the location and what it means to us locals who have always had to travel the length and breadth of the UK to see the coolest bands, it may simply be down to the fact that, on the night, Warrior Soul slayed. Either way, it was special. If you missed it kick yourself twice a day for the next month...and never let it happen again.

Photos by Ashlea Matthews

Ashlea Bea Photography