Helmet @ Cathouse, 17 Dec

Mad, bad and dangerous to be in the vicinity of, DeSalvo’s vocalist P6 is a fearsome creature and as he sets to work harassing the crowd, they play the best meeting of the Dillinger Escape Plan and the Murder Junkies that the world could ever dread to hear. If you are a Scottish noise rock connoisseur and have yet to sample one of their sporadic live shows, you’re missing something vital in your life.

Fighting With Wire, however, are decidedly less essential, belting out a lively enough set of anthemic rock that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a heavy rock station circa 1996. There is evident enthusiasm and they have all the right moves, but it’s difficult to get excited about something that’s been heard so many times before.

If history has taught us anything about Helmet, it’s that nothing can keep them down. Despite only vocalist Page Hamilton remaining from the original lineup and facing both a lacklustre crowd and a night plagued by technical problems, they overcome all of these obstacles with charm, grace and excessive volume. Opening with Unsung, it’s a statement that says “great riffs never go out of style” and by the time that See You Dead has ended, the crowd’s demeanour has noticeably improved, not only becoming more animated but also displaying an abundance of camaraderie.

Nonetheless, the technical hitches do occasionally take their toll, breaking up the flow of the evening and as the unwelcome spectre of curfew looms, it’s time for Helmet to work their magic again, an encore of In The Meantime and Milktoast keeping the punters happy, although probably not the venue’s staff. Still, that’s rock’n’roll for you. [David Bowes]