Send More Paramedics, P.S.P., The Nothing, Human Rape Symphony, The Smoking Hearts.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 12th August 2005.

Headlining tonight were the curiously named SEND MORE PARAMEDICS, who played a thirty minute set of thrash metal complete with hyper-fast riffs. If you were to stick Anthrax, Slayer and Minor Threat together in a blender, Send More Paramedics would be the resulting foul tasting concoction!
The lead singer slowly paced around the stage either growling or screaming his songs, which appeared to be predominately about his cannibalistic tendencies! However, having witnessed the band devour a vegetarian curry for their pre-gig meal, all their on stage antics fell rather flat for me!!

In support were Barnsley’s noise-core thrashers P.S.P and misanthropic goth-metallers THE NOTHING, who I both found very bland.

However, bland is not a word I could use about the first two bands of the evening!
HUMAN RAPE SYMPHONY hail from Leeds, except for member Stevie Kilgour who local metal fans might remember fondly as the guitarist with the legendary band Kaine. With songs such as ‘Flame of Hatred’ and ‘Deathworm’, Human Rape Symphony offered short sharp thrash metal. Imagine Pantera jamming with The Electric Hippies and you might get some idea of their sound!

Following them was the raw power of the sublime SMOKING HEARTS, who played an absolutely blistering set of intense punk rock – superb!