Rise Above Records Anniversary Festival: Friday

He was born a wicked man I, Melachi ibn Amillar, being of unsound mind and hungry body, arriving at the Garage on 27 December must observe first of all that if this venue is going to run such a long show they should allow readmission or at least provide a few pizza slices as the masses cannot be expected to go without food from five to eleven. So returning later I saw the good three admirals Sir Cloudesley Shovell who seemed less dire than previously, the first few songs coming in with a Nice Crunch: perhaps they had some new material; though still degenerating eventually to a duller hard rock (in the manner of the King's X). Let us hope they hung around till the end to pick up some tips. I was puzzled by Horizont - and not only in the question of how to pronounce it. Sounding like a power metal band without the bombast, I wouldn't have thought them to fit well within this stable and I won't be looking for more from them. The band introducing themselves as the "Sharon Tate whatever" appeared hairy and hunching up and down on their mighty axeworks less diffidently than I had seen them before (as Uncle Acid) at this venue. They then delivered an extraordinary sequence of crushing yet bouncy riff anthems as though choosing from a twenty year hit catalogue, while the great unwashed flailed their heads in awesome rapture like the Jews at the wailing wall. And though there was no transfiguration on this occasion, Melachi feels the possibility cannot be excluded in future.