Scars On Broadway @ ABC, 20 Sep

Just minutes before the set begins, the crowd for Scars On Broadway - the side project from System of a Down's Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan - looks patchy and unsettled. This being the band's Scottish debut, the ABC gathering may not quite know what to expect, but any doubts are short-lived with the band's laid back but heavy hitting lunge into opener Serious. As if by magic, any stragglers are rounded up and appear on the floor, packing the venue and hanging on Malakian's every word. Wasting no time, the band turn out new single World Long Gone after only three songs and proceed to dance, chant, writhe and point amidst a seamless slew of scathingly witty, groove-ridden metal jams. Of course, the crowd lap it up like the gospel and clap as if lives were at stake. Exciting, loud and airtight - Scars On Broadway pack an unexpected but very welcome aural punch. [Ryan Drever]