A LARGE but strangely subdued crowd turned up to The Crown, Worcester, last Saturday for an evening that brought loud guitars, mad banshee-singers and a little bit of blood.

First up was Malvern metalcore group Instead Of Against, who pulled off an impressive set. Backed by a very tight rhythm section, singer Pete Ware managed to whip at least several people into a frenzy at the front, before jumping in himself and promptly splitting his lip. However, he laughed in the face of pain and hopped straight back on stage.

Next up was Exit Wound, who really didn't do it for me. Lots of high-pitched screaming and jumping around do not a good act make.

Thankfully, headline act Douglas more than made up for Exit Wound's laryngitis-inducing noise. The Cardiff outfit seemed delighted to be in Worcester and finally got the crowd going with a storming set, mixing some great rock songs with a dextrous handling of their various instruments. Lead singer Colin Francies launched himself into the crowd on numerous occasions in the Tasmanian Devil style and still managed to hold onto the mic and sound good, although he could have done with being turned up a touch.

As the announcer noted, "I personally reckon Douglas are the best band to play here ever". Who am I to argue?

Phill Tromans