Lucian Fletcher asked us to bear with him as he commenced with a long, bass-heavy intro and wandered off for a moment before eventually coming back and going on to play a mishmash of “industrial karaoke” tracks featuring nice catchy beats, including the genuinely hooking Can’t Stop, and Animals In Fear where the vocals were great.

Overall, the production was sound and easily made for an enjoyable listen. On stage however, during the instrumental pieces we were all watching not much more than a man standing and staring at his laptop, which was visibly a bit hard for some people to sit still for.

That flaw aside, the material served well and Lucian was worth checking out. If able to incorporate something to his live show, we may be on to a winner here down the line.

Pijn’s tour buddies Rope stepped up next. The paying attendees were promised they would love these guys, and love them we did.

The quartet dished out an array of strong numbers formed from very slick riffs and a resounding rhythm section, building a powerhouse sound that enveloped the room, and in the process sucked everybody in.

Technical issues did little to dampen what was ultimately a tightly constructed, tightly delivered set in the band’s outstanding Scottish debut.

Local group Draws Creature Mask were another that had some praise preceding them heading into this show. Things started off in tatters, but fortunately they quickly recovered and got into a groove in no time flat.

Toning it down from the commanding heaviness of their predecessors, their tunes had a smooth and vibrant sound that even had a touch of atmosphere to it, and this boiled down to the polished riffs, cool bass chords and flowing drum beats, plus the harmonies were a good fit.

Other minor miscues notwithstanding, it was really solid stuff that held people’s attention. Oh, and apparently it’s hockey season.

And now for the boys in Pijn. With swigs of Buckfast down their systems, they launched into the first track with such atomic force, and from there it was a hell of a ride.

The numbers drove off such an immensely massive sound bolstered by huge guitar chords and thunderous bass/drum combos. The volume and tempo continuously swayed; at times they would take it down a notch, before building back up to the mightier sections again.

The crowd were entranced, with most joyfully headbanging in unison, engrossed by the staggering commotion undergoing in front of them.

Listening to the band’s material on record is sweet enough, but goddamn, catching them live in action is an experience on a whole other plane. It was beautiful.