It's such a simple idea, it's a wonder that no-ones thought to do it before. A label package tour showcasing their sparkliest talent for the princely sum of zero moolah. New metal kids on the block and spawn of Classic Rock Magazine, Powerage Records have certainly built a great reputation for both re-launching and discovering bands that were struggling to get their kind of music heard, two of my personal favourites being funky blues rockers Electric Mary and cult prog wizards Big Elf. Now boasting a roster of over a dozen bands and counting, Powerage have opted to focus on four of their younger bands for this inaugural Power Supply (see what they did there?) tour.

It's no doubt also a calculated move, given that their more established bands would probably not view the punishing itinerary of 11 gigs in 12 days across England, Scotland and Wales, with the same rose-tinted mirror-shades as these strapping young lads. The London venue in the grimy market town of Camden must have seemed like Las Vegas to these intrepid travellers, seeing how it was to be their sole date in the South East, breaking-up their mini-tour of great English fishing ports Margate, Grimsby and Poole. Thankfully, they still had the great hard rock heartlands of the Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and erm Nuneaton to look forward to.

In spite of the four-band bill, it was a little surprising that the first band was not due on stage until just before 8, giving band-members ample time to visit the local branch of Record and Herb Exchange and the burgeoning audience an opportunity to self-lubricate before the appointed hour.

First-up were Million $ Reload. A punky amalgam of Buckcherry and Bon-era AC/DC from Northern Ire'n, the Antrim county boys jump-started procedings with a tight and exuberant set. Together for over 5 years now, it's a shame that the initial momentum around their well-received debut 'Anthems Of A Degeneration' disappeared off the Giants Causeway when the distribution company handling it went bust. Thankfully, Powerage rescued the album from a watery grave and has reissued it in remixed form, so we can enjoy bad-boy rock anthems such as 'Get It Up' and 'Tattoos And Dirty Girls' in their catchy, sleazy glory. In a live context, the songs acquire even more urgency and attitude and their short 30 minute set provides an excellent showcase of their talents. Although only their fourth gig with a brand-new drummer, they didn't miss a beat, so don't be surprised if the next time you see these young bucks reloading is at much larger venue.

Next up was the interestingly dubbed The Treatment, but would they be just what the Doctor ordered? This Cambridge-band are Powerage's most recent signing and a relatively high-profile one at that, given their managerial stewardship of Laurie Mansworth (More, Airrace, Roadstar). What is particular impressive is the musical maturity of the young Fens-men, each handpicked over a two year period by the More-man. With a style that borrows heavily from classic rock bands of yore, but blessed with 2 key ingredients, great songs and a stunning find in vocalist Matt Jones. Live he already comes across as the finished article, great poise and delivery. The only downside is that the audience is naturally drawn to his performance rather than to the band as a whole, although to a man they played with great style and panache. With a recently recorded hot and steamy platter 'This Might Hurt' now released, the band definitely benefits from the increased profile. For example, they managed to blag the prime location for their merch stand in the labyrinthine Underworld as well as drawing the largest crowd of the night. Whether tonight's attendance is bolstered by friends and family (remember it's free, so everyone's effectively on the guest-list) coached-in from Cambridge or by discerning local liggers that like their rock 'klassik' is unclear. What is obvious is that they put in a great shift and a rewarded with a raucous response to great tunes including 'the Doctor', 'Just Tell Me Why' and 'Shake The Mountain'. This Treatment certainly did not hurt at all, as they left me invigorated, and even more so when I also spied their cover model in all her finery on the merch stand.

So having already featured bands from Northern Ireland and England, it made perfect sense that next to take the stage would be Welsh metallurgists Lethargy. Thankfully, they don't do justice to their name and did turn-on a spellbinding mix of grunge, prog and psych metal, which I've seen the guys referred to as 'Melancholic Atmospheric Soundscapes'. Even before I had heard a note, I was already drawn-in by the Alice in Chains and Led Zeppelin T's worn by two of the band. That's setting the bar pretty high in terms of influences. What's most remarkable is that they truly did sound like the Welsh bastard son of Jimmy and Jerry, in the very best possible way. Most telling perhaps was where The Treatment had favoured shiny new none-more-Blackstar amps and yummy Yamaha SG1820s axes, Lethargy play road-worn Les Paul copies through a classic Orange backline. As Gordon Gekko would say "grunge is good". Contrasting with the polished sound of the aforementioned band, I really loved the 'tight-but-loose' vibe of Lethargy and the natural way they interacted and played off each-other during great tracks such as 'A Lost Adoration', 'Bleachin' Bones' and 'Purification'. At times all very reminiscent of early Zeppelin and Sabbath. Although be-dreaded bassist Marc T Jones sings lead on the majority of the material, this was very much a team performance with guitarists Phil and Andy also contributing strong vocals and working the stage whilst demonstrating great musical dexterity, drummer Gaz meanwhile gives great groove from the back. It explains a lot when you discover that the guys have had a constant line-up since 2005, when Andy's brother Gaz arrived to take over percussive duties from his college-bound predecessor. Most surprising is how the band have managed to maintain such a low profile since their great 'Purification' album was released as Powerage Records catalogue number 01 in late 2008 to great critical acclaim. Sure they got to play graveyard morning shifts at Hard Rock Hell in 2008 and High Voltage in 2010, but little in the way of large-scale exposure until this tour. 2011 may well indeed be the break-through year for Lethargy, as reports are that recording of the follow-up to 'Purification' is progressing well with a release possible as early as April 2011.

This all brings us to the final act of the night. By now audience numbers had thinned-out somewhat, although a good number (intent on getting their money's worth) remained to enjoy local lads New Device. As notional headliners, whereas the previous 3 bands had been limited to 30-minute sets, New Device had the luxury of stretching their allotted time to a princely 45 minutes. Arguably, New Device justified their headlining status, having risen to prominence in 2009 with a 'Best New Band' nomination at the Classic Rock awards, well received debut CD release, support slots with Gun and Europe as well as festival appearances at Download and Sonisphere. This two years worth of steady progress was then cherry-topped by a coveted support slot during the Bon Jovi corporation takeover of the O2 Arena back in 2010. It must be somewhat disheartening after those high-points to be back to playing many of the venues they played 3 years previously. If it is, it certainly didn't show. Just as their signature song declares "We Are The New Device, We're Taking Over", the band played the room like they were back at the O2. At first glance, mohawked and muscled singer Dan Leigh has a look of detached menace, yet he is a compelling on-stage presence with a strong voice with great range and clarity. He effortlessly worked the initially jaded audience hard to ensure that "We Will Not Forget Them". Bombastic balls-out anthems like 'Seven Nights, Seven Bodies' and 'Pedal To The Metal' lyrically may verge on metal cliché, but are delivered with such conviction and precision, that resistance is futile. It was a powerful set with a good range of quality songs from the band's excellent debut album from the glam metallic opener 'Make My Day' to stadium rawk excellence of  'Until The End'. They even had the chance for an encore to close the night. To their credit, having shot their load with 'Takin' Over' already, they didn't attempt to over-do it and finished-up with quite a classy song, so classy in fact that I've no idea of what it was called.  What a great way to finish a seriously fun rockin' 3 hours.

Overall, this was a great night and superb value for money. Better still, although cut from a similar cloth, each band had their own identity and style, indicating that Powerage Records has invested wisely in its new generation of talent. The big question is, given the growing diversity, quantity and quality of rock bands out there, will any of tonight's heroes make the step-up to become a true headline act, rather than perennial support band? To my mind it's bands that adapt and evolve that have the best chance of building a long-term audience. So, for me I thought that Lethargy had the slight edge; intriguing and captivating in equal measure, I'm fascinated by what they might do next and how good their new CD might be. Good luck to all the bands and kudos to Powerage for having the balls to put this particular show on the road in the first place. Tidy.

Photo Kudos - Dawn 'aorgirl' Irwin