Words by Brendan Monteiro / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

The Relentless Garage plays host to the inaugural Energy Sessions and on the first evening the line-up is nothing short of incredible. First up with the uneasy task of opening is a band called Sharks, and after hearing a great deal about these guys it’s a set I must say I had been looking forward to. As the first notes play out I’m taken aback as there sound seems a lot more maturer than what I pictured but at the same time sort of lethargic, but the pace grows steadily with each song. The crowd might be a little sparse but James Mattock gives it his all, maybe their sound is just a little too eccentric for this crowd.

The second band to make their way on stage is This City and the charisma on stage from the start is nothing short of spectacular, every member of the band seems to be sporting a smile from ear to ear. Opening track We Move has all the upbeat tempo’s of Bloc Party blended in with so many other great things and it’s sensually amazing. Their sound is so crisp with well structured soaring riffs that had my ears on a magical journey through speedy sections into atmospheric parts and some good old chugging bits, all this in a song is just incredible, as was their entire set.

Failsafe is my second suprise of the evening as I literally only knew about one band before I arrived. They combine all the passion of Rise Against, the fast paced riffage of A Wilhelm Scream and the happy fun tones of No Trigger and I can’t help wanting to hear more from these guys. James the lead singer makes the utmost effort to make a connection with every member of the audience, his vocal smash through the air like a flying kick slap from Chuck Norris. Something To Someone is definitely my stand out song from the set and just is an all round awesome song.

It is by this time in the evening that it dawns on me that upstairs has it’s fair share of bands playing but I only get to see a small bit of The Plight’s set. They are hard and as loud as shit. It’s a real contrast to what is happening down below, with such a raucous amount of pure volume coupled with Alistair Mancrief strident growls, their music will literally put hair on you chest.

So back down below at the Garage the headliners make their way on to the stage. The venue might not be packed to it’s maximum but there is an abundance of adoring fans, this might be down to the fact that some people just prefer the couch rather than a gig but who am I to judge. Itch and the guys have everyone on the floor area moving about, by the second verse of Let’s Hang The Landlord the front man has disappeared into the crowd. I never thought about it before much but they sound like a funky mix up of Rancid and UB40 which might come across a little strange in writing buy sonically it really works. The Streets Are Ours gets fists punching the air but tonight I got to admit that Headbutt was something special. I can only imagine how good it would of sounded with a massive audience giving it their all, even with a small little crowd like tonight it is truly evident that The King Blues have got so much love.