Alterica's second appearance at Esquires was infinitely better than the first. This time round, they played a set of original material, and finished with a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In The Jar". Their sound is quite original, drawing in influences from Metallica, Pantera and the Nu-Metal scene almost seamlessly to create a set of energetic modern metal songs. With a bit of development and experience they will sound as good as many signed metal bands. The crowd's reaction was ecstatic, with a violent pit breaking out as soon as the band started playing, which really inspired the band, who looked like they were enjoying themselves immensely.

Not many local bands could follow Alterica after tonights performance, but Headwire proved their live credibility by being up to the task. Their sound is not as heavy as Alterica's, but they made up for it with their usual energetic live delivery and catchy songs I actually remebered from their previous gigs. drawing on punk, nu-metal and hard rock, their osund is hard to describe and they could fit on any bill. Headwire have it all - catchy choruses, cool metal riffs and a friendly attitude to their audience. Probably one of the best gigs I've seen them play, Headwire could go on to bigger things if they write more compelling and catchy songs.

So, in all, a very succesful launch night for Bedfordmetal, and hopefully even more people will turn up to the next one in August. The Bedfordmetal crew will try to keep this standard, with three different bands that will appeal to all fans of alternative music. Thanks to everyone that turned up and made the night such a success, and especially to the bands for restoring everyone's faith in the bedford scene.