It’s very rare that I go to a gig and actually enjoy every band that is playing that night. Friday 13th, (ironically) was one of these nights. Orca are on their UK tour, which began at Camden Underworld in London on the 6th, and are beginning to get the recognition they deserve. Storming the Phoenix with them were Bint, Phoenix regulars, and Thoughts of a Theory, a promising new band who chose a great couple of bands to share their first gig with. Days of December, (who have previously toured with US rockers Transgression), were supposed to be playing, but unfortunately - and to the dismay of many people I spoke to who had come especially to see them - they had pulled out, as their singer has glandular fever (get well soon!).

So, after everyone had got a couple beers down them (and rightly so), the night began. Thoughts to a Theory, a self-described emo-hardcore band, raged their way through their set, surprising me by managing to warm up the crowd enough get a pit going. A very violent pit, but a pit nonetheless. The band seemed real professional, and certainly knew how to please the crowd. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

Next up were Bint, and (no surprises), they were awesome. I’ve seen Bint once or twice before, and they’ve never failed to impress me. Tonight was no exception. Highlights included their opening song, Desert Soul, and their fourth song, Painted Walls (which is on their two track CD). I really enjoyed Bint’s performance, as did the crowd, judging from all the sweaty people who’d been in the pit.

Finally, Orca took the Phoenix by storm. Predictably, the crowd went wild for them, especially as favourites like This Year’s Girl exploded through the tavern. Their energy seemed unstoppable as they rampaged though their set, life and soul in every song. They are really doing well for themselves at the moment: what with airplay on Radio 1’s Mary Anne Hobbs show; playing with Funeral for a Friend; releasing their second single on Alaska Recordings; and generally playing lots of gigs, and I suspect, drinking lots of beer. So it’s not really a surprise every song was played with so much incredulous heart-felt enthusiasm.

On the whole, an amazing night was had by all. One particular girl I spoke to, Katie Elford, summed it up probably better than I have, in a lot less words: “Bands were great, atmosphere was great, beer was great. What more can I say?”

Written by Luce