It's not often I get genuinely excited about a gig these days, being a bit of an old fart and whatnot, but the prospect of seeing Sick Of It All and Madball together certainly got the juices flowing. Throw in the fact that for once I wouldn't be driving to the gig in any shape or form (courtesy of an old-school minibus trip) and the prospect was enough to make me get...well, pretty shitfaced actually.  As it turned out, the chronic state of inebriation I found myself in just added to the lunacy, at least on my part, and certainly anaesthetised the damage to my body, which became sorely apparent the following day. But anyway, back to the gig and I'll try not to make my recollections too sketchy, I promise.

Having heard the majority of No Warning Shot's set from outside the venue (actually from the front of the pub next door if truth be told), the noise emanating from inside was sufficiently attractive enough for me to venture inside to catch the end of their set, which seemed like some pretty impressive metallic hardcore and certainly good enough to warrant a "must check them out next time" reminder in the memory banks.

Next up was probably the most underrated NYHC band of the last 20-odd years.  Always seeming to exist in the shadow of Agnostic Front and Sick Of It All, Madball have always had the songs and live show to live with the best of them, and tonight sees them on sparkling form.  When you've been fronting a band since the age of 12 it's gonna be in your veins and bone marrow and Freddy Cricien lives and breathes Madball.  Stalking the stage and leading the band through classics new and old you can't help but jump around, grinning your head off as frontman and band pummel the shit out of all in attendance.

By the time Sick Of It All hit the stage the anticipation and atmosphere in the absolutely packed venue is reaching bursting point.  And when they do hit the stage all hell breaks loose. A total lack of stage security ensures that by the time they've kicked into modern-day classic 'Death Or Jail' there are bodies flying off stage into an absolutely insane pit. Ripping out hardcore classic after classic, Sick Of It All are a band on the form of their lives.  Plucking tunes from their last two albums 'Death To Tyrants' and this year's album of the year 'Based On A True Story' along with a bit of everything from their back catalogue, they really are peerless at the moment.  The intensity levels reach new peaks with the likes of 'Step Down' and the Wall Of Death soundtrack that is 'Scratch The Surface' (which I unwisely stage-dive into the middle of).  The band seem to be lapping up the reception they're getting and when Lou Koller asks the crowd to "Name any song and we'll play it", it's no surprise when they eventually settle on their barnstorming version of Sham 69's 'Borstal Breakout' (which further encouraged yours truly to drunkenly join Bristol stalwart Danny in providing some dodgy backing vocals).  Somewhere in there we also got 'Machete', 'Take The Night Off', 'Clobbering Time' and a whole lot of other good stuff that given a more sober demeanour I might have been able to recall more exactly.  But hey, it was Sick Of It All i.e. fucking storming.

As the set finishes and the band jump straight off stage to chat with and have photos taken with the crowd, everyone wanders off battered, bruised and very, very happy. 

Gig of the year and album of the year from one band?  Don't bet against it.