I came expecting some cheesy pop-punk. I was surprised.

Firstly by local openers Heads on Sticks. Underneath the dual female vocal melodies lay a noise driven foetal cross breed of Sonic Youth, Sleater Kinney with the obligatory twist of nu-metal. Good to watch, and I'm sure it'll be just as much fun watching them and their audience grow.

Then by Vex Red. Coming out a static three guitar wall of sound, their metal credentials on full display, I was a little scared. When they played a song, "Clone Jesus", they seemed more like a clone Papa Roach. Their saving grace was the creativity behind the wall, edgy keyboard backing, and the off-kilter powerhouse rhythm section.

Crackout couldn't have been more of a contrast. With two less members than Vex Red, they seemed to have ten times the room on stage, and they made full use of it. The opener "142" was as straight edge as they get, and saw lead singer Steven Eagles set to destroy the place in the opening minute. Their sound was intense despite their limited manpower, but they mixed up their styles cleverly with likes of the little ska breaks on I am the one, and the sober passages in "Guillotine". Hardly a break between tunes, they raced through the set, including a devastating combination of the single "Over My Head", and "Breakout" followed by the unequivocal "You Dumb Fuck". Despite their power, Crackout are also refreshingly creative. Staccato drum breaks, and incessant pace changes kept things interesting, if not a little confusing. They are not a straightforward dance or mosh band. In fact the hardcore kids had trouble deciding how fast to thrash their heads. They caught me though, and had me dancing like a twat. You can't get much of a higher recommendation than that.