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They have a decent following in the crowd judging by the amount of singing along there was, the songs are typically anthemic and epic as you would expect from a classic heavy metal band with their European flair. I think they probably gained a few more fans as well tonight, good start to the evening.

Hailing from the Potteries, Demon (9) are one of those bands that have a cult following. One of those bands that “should have been bigger” you might say. Fronted by the cheeky and indomitable Dave Hill (not Noddy’s mate) the band have existed for 45 years and today sees them in sprightly form. Their brand of heavy metal leans on their style of dark gothic story telling like Night Of The Demon but can get serious with soaring melodic tunes such as Hurricane. 

It’s obvious that they’re having loads of fun but keep it technical with fast precision on The Unexpected Guest, but they get serious with Nowhere To Run a track that Hill tells us that was written many years ago about Middle Eastern conflicts and unfortunately still relevant today. A wonderfully nostalgic set though and a band we’d never expected to see in 2026!

Closing the night, Tygers Of Pan Tang (10) proved that they can still roar with the best, their style is as sharp as their claws and they still have a bite to their heavy rock. Sorry, that’s all the puns out of the way! 

Seriously though, guitarist Robb Weir can still shred with the best, and he is sharply turned out tonight with slick quiff and Hawaiian style shirt belying his 68 years and his interaction with singer Jack Meille is the cornerstone of the band and key to its longevity.

Meille has been at the forefront of the Tygers during their latest incarnation and his style and flair fit perfectly with the bands melodic rock, and the being a Florentine, he’s spearheaded the renaissance of the band who are as busy as ever with the resurgence of classic rock thanks to all us Gen X folk who still love to rock out!

Tonight they were on top form with classics like Slave To Freedom and Gangland whilst bringing us up to date with 2019’s White Lines. We even got a taster of the upcoming album Bloodlines with the first single that’s just dropped, “Electrifyed” proving that they can still bang out cracking tunes.

They kept us waiting till the end though for the cheesy but great fun Love Potion No.9 and closing out with the fans favourite Hellbound the packed room loved it, and to be fair it wasn’t all Gen X in the room there were a lot of other generations represented, testament to the timeless attraction that this much loved British rock band has, and a fantastic way to celebrate the 25th birthday of a much loved venue and rehearsal rooms.