Sadie Hawkins Dance + Little Hero + Breene
The Yorkshire House, Lancaster 5 May 2006

Plug in, turn up to 11 and strike a chord or three – Bradford's Breene are simple, no-nonsense streetpunk. Derivative, as most punk bands in their early twenties are, but with the energy and passion to carry it off. Five guys, lots of 'Oi's and hardcore strangled shouts on the mic. They've an element of social awareness that is sadly lacking in many emulative punk bands -- the song Viva La Struggle, seething about the racist ridiculousness of the Bradord riots, pulls us back to what punk should be about -- a firm two fingers up t those who mindlessly follow the majority, no matter how wrong they are.

Next up was Little Hero -- one man with a good haircut and electric guitar. I'm not a fan of acoustic music, generally speaking, and it's rather unusual that he's on stage after a raucous punk band. Having said that, he was very engaging: a truly strange and undoubtedly talented songwriter who I pictured eating baked beans out of a tin before he shambled onto stage.

Headliners Sadie Hawkins Dance rip straight into a blisteringly hot set. This is a band I've heard a lot of hype about, and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. Like NiN mixed up with Bullet For My Valentine and Pantera, but with a punky edge, they're driven by an energy that screams out and pulls you in by the ears. Their singer, Crystal Grenade, is easily the best female frontwoman I've seen this year. I prefer my metal with masculine vocals, but she's swayed me. Bizarre OTT clothes and make up, a variety of hats, glitter shakers and a voice that could shatter windows, Crystal is a force to be reckoned with, staring, leaping and writhing around on the floor. Add this to four musicians with hands and fingers that move like lightning, and you have a winning formula.

I walked away with their song Violent Confetti in my head, and that doesn't happen often. Believe the hype!

Web Links
The Venue
• The Yorkshire House

The Bands
• Breene: www.myspace.com/breene
• Little Hero: www.myspace.com/littleheromusic
• Sadie Hawkins Dance: www.myspace.com/sadiehawkinsdance