Then it all kind of faded. Sutton still had bands at the New Cross and The Golden Diamond is still holding out so I'm told.

So where's the revival come from? We've the Town Mill which is pumping out some decent bands again and now the Intake Club is doing the same. A niche in the market? Quite possibly given the amount of people who frequent such places which can only be a good thing.

Concentrating on the Intake Club off I trotted on Friday to see one of the original NWOBHM bands. That's New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to the uninitiated. In the 80s a number of bands emerged and shook British Rock by it's dangly bits. A new era in music was upon us and nearly ruined by those just in it for the money, apparently.

But firstly the support acts.

Starting the evening were Throttle. A four piece from Lancashire way given the accents. We're talking Metallica meets Megadeth with a little Pantera and DamagePlan thrown in for good measure. Tight and strong throughout they gave a good performance. The sound was distinctive but maybe the material could have been stronger. With some work they'll go from a decent band to a damn good one.

Next up were Blood Orange. Strange name for a band really but these days it must be hard for musicians to settle on something unique. A more melodic Muse in a way both vocally and musically. As the set went on they drifted to a more melodic style from the initial Museness (is that a word?) Overall tight and good at what they do. If Muse is your thing then you might just like these.

Now back to the NWOBHM types.

Many of these bands were signed at the time. Some good, some bad. Rumours were that a silly number of bands put pen to contract and were held to it never to be able to do anything while the money men pushed the best of the bunch. Def Leppard? Probably the biggest of them all.

But then there were those who did make it for a while then declined for whatever reason. Diamond Head are one of those bands. They were up there with Def Leppard and touted to go onto greater things and to a degree did just that. But something didn't quite click for them. The Leps kept going and eventually conquered America. The Heads, on the other hand, had a few line-up changes and a break but have since got back together. Obviously so really as who else did I watch Friday night?

So the gig. A decent set of classics and new material. Anyone expecting Harris on vocals will be surprised, possibly disappointed, as he's not there and Nick Tart isn't a like-for-like replacement. Similar vocal style in places but to some Harris is the voice of Diamond Head just as Dickinson is the voice of Iron Maiden.

They were tight throughout as to be expected from a set of musicians who've been around for a decade or two. The new material sounded decent if a little mellow at times in an Asia stylee with Tarts voice coming across well. But then they'd throw something heavier out just to confuse things and keep the crowd interested.

The old classics though were what made the crowd sit up and listen. For any rock fan 'Am I Evil' and 'Helpless' are on the list. Not only because of their fame through Metallica, but simply because they're classic Diamond Head.

As is the norm the best was saved until last and the above two greats were belted out to a crowd of expectant onlookers who weren't to be disappointed.

So overall a decent set from the old NWOBHM'ers. I guess I was expecting a little more bite from them, but nevertheless they did their old and new material alot of justice. Who can argue when one of the biggest bands on the heavy metal scene take two of your songs and belt them out in their own style?

Certainly not me.

The Hipster

Did you go to the gig? Let us know what you thought below