Goat have just released their third album Requiem, and with each album they delve further into their own sound. Almost unclassifiable as they take in a variety of psychedelic elements and mix them with a plethora of diverse sounds, everything from disco to tribal, all culminating in their unique sound. The masked crusaders are currently tearing across the country thrilling audiences on every stop and tonight they arrive in Newcastle on a high. 

First up though are fellow Swedes Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation, having just released their own new album Mirage they seem to be in equally high spirits. However, Josefin appeared to have gone missing as the band took to the stage looking particularly lost before being joined by the absent singer a short while later. Their atmospheric take on psych provided a relaxing opening to the evening, with motoric beats underpinning Josefin’s vocals their set ambles a long.

It is a set that lacks a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm, the tracks are well put together but all follow a similar blueprint and struggle to progress. In all it’s an accomplished set but doesn’t really set our pulses racing, fortunately the same cannot be said for Goat. Bounding on to the stage it’s clear that they're excited for this evening's show. 

They open with an emphatic rendition of 'Words' from their second album Commune, Goat’s two frontwomen are immediately taunting the audience and bouncing around the stage. The rest of the band effortlessly holds down these tracks as the two ladies chant a long, there is a real energy about Goat tonight. Their passion and fervour is insatiable 'Trouble In The Streets' is an early favourite of ours, it shows the true depth of Goat’s sound.

Similarly for 'I Sing In Silence', the newer tracks shine through and hold their own against old favourites. 'I Sing In Silence' also kicks off a huge sing along with its chantable chorus, but it doesn’t compare to the atmosphere when Goat launch into a raucous extended version of 'Run To Your Mama'. This phenomenal track still remains a firm crowd favourite and tonight it provides the perfect ending to the bands main set.

They follow it up with a resounding encore, that compounds their brilliance. Goat are truly one of a kind. Their set flits between a multitude of genres effortlessly, their singers have boundless energy and the rest of the band are incredible musicians. Live they’re one of the best bands around right now!

With autumn upon us it was once again time for The Bucky Rage to stage Buckfest. Seven bands for free & with barely any slack time between them is good business by any standard.

Kicking things off, with ‘Ride Into The Sun’, were The Reverse Cowgirls and their inimitable country punk. No guitar strap issues, as previously witness in Edinburgh in the summer, so maybe less drink had been had this early in the day but they were on fine form, rattling through their 30+ minutes with the barest of breathers.

The Fnords took over the baton next and punched out their trademark gritty & enjoyably harrowing set of Mono Men-esque howlers including ‘Taxi Dancer’ & ‘She’s So Sinister’ and ending with a rough and ready version of Mancini’s ‘Peter Gunn’.

Covers aplenty were the order of the day now as The Kosher Pickles served up their authentic take on the ‘60s garage classics, starting with ‘We’re Pretty Quick’ and racing through to a final medley of ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me/Psychotic Reaction’. Original number ‘Get Your Ties On’ amply shows they’ve got the skills that pay the bills when it comes to writing as well as performing.

With guitar and drum duos becoming ten a penny over the past decade or so there’s always the concern that you’ll have seen it all before when one is spied taking to the stage but today’s pair, The Animal Mothers, were possessed of enough energy & originality to safely lift themselves above the mass of similar also rans. Whilst vocally they were unable to do ‘Runaway’ the justice it deserves their own tracks such as ‘Garbage Can’ contain a great amount of punch and they fire them out at a frenetic pace. A twosome to keep an eye on.

Due to having other fish to fry back East The Blunders were the final act of today’s show it was possible to witness. A politicised blend of Killing Joke & Leatherface they rattled proficiently through their set but didn’t really manage to engage me unfortunately. Still, you can’t complain when you’ve paid nowt for the privilege.

Tonight is a triple headed beast, headed up by former indie rockers turned Nine Inch Nails wannabes Wild Beasts. However, it falls to Ardyn to open this eclectic show, the brother and sister duo indulge tonight's early arrivals with a set of sickly sweet songs infused with a delicate synth pop edge. Their sound lacks originality and is quickly becoming the landfill 'indie' sound of choice. 

There is some emotion there but it fails to grab us as it is masked by their over reliance on their aesthetic. In many ways this is a case of style over substance, as they're merely pandering as to what is in vogue right now. The same cannot and will not be said for MONEY who following on from the release of their incredible second album Suicide Songs earlier in the year are still riding this wave of success.

Suicide Songs is one of the most powerful and emotive albums around and tonight its songs come alive once more, singer Jamie berating those ignorant enough to dare to talk through his powerful works. The passion and the power so telling in his delivery, these songs of excess and heartbreak draw you in. The odd glimpse of humour as he chastised those too careless to listen, really though this was the building of anger before his next outpouring of anguish. 

The likes of ‘I’m Not Here’ and ‘I’ll Be The Night’ bring the set to life but it is closing track ‘Cocaine Christmas And An Alcoholic New Year’, after numerous attempts to silence the naive he rises above them continuing in fine form an exceptional closing swan song. The cacophony of his band brings to an end what is only too short a set on this occasion, Wild Beasts are quick to follow though.

Where MONEY had passion and power, Wild Beasts put on a set of two distinct halves. The former being their old unique, intriguing and exciting selves and the latter a sub par rendition of Nine Inch Nails as we alluded to before. Their sinister themes are now masked by an overzealous mix of heavy beats and suppressed is Hayden's defining falsetto, all bands have to move on but Boy King feels like it may be a step too far.

Finishing off their three date promotional tour (including Dundee’s Hordes Of Belial festival) for their self-titled EP Iron Altar don’t waste any time when they take to the hometown stage. The quintet get stuck straight into their short set of stoner doom excellence. It’s a while since I’ve seen any metal bands in Edinburgh although Bannerman’s has shows on all the time but, having seen a number abroad over the summer, it’s clear that these guys are ideally suited for the likes of Incubate or early on the bill at Into The Grave, such is the tightness of their performance and the obvious bond they have as a functioning unit.

They fully own the performance space, engage with the audience &, other than a slightly clunky instrumental passage during their second song, tracks such as ‘Nothing’ and ‘Blood Rain’ deliver everything in terms of aggression, weighty riffs and frenetic drumming. Metal of all sorts may be in a position where the ageing stadium-filling acts are never equalled in terms of popularity or sales but Iron Altar are at the forefront of the talented new breed of bands taking the genre onwards and keeping the faith. With songs of this quality it’s to be hoped that a full-length release isn’t too long in coming.

Tonight’s main acts both hail from Liverpool. The Bendal Interlude make a good Sabbath-meets-hardcore sound & liven things up further with good use of samples. Difficult though to tell if that Cliff Richard shirt their singer was sporting was ironic or not. Iron Witch give vent to a lot of angst with suitably absorbing riffs to match but often the middle passages of their songs passed off rather pedestrian. The crowd were obviously aware of what to expect, however, so they got the biggest reaction of the night and inspired a good bit of movement. Both bands are further clear proof of the healthy state of metal in the UK today.