First up for this show were Southampton's Plastic Toys who proceeded to make an immediate impression on the Academy with their synth inflected alt-rock. With a sound pitched somewhere between The Killers first album and pre “Downward Spiral” era Nine Inch Nails Plastic Toys were highly enjoyable. Tracks such as “Dirty” and “Just Like You” mixed the tempos up nicely and were immediate enough to get a good portion of the fifty or so early punters interested. Musically tight they made for a very entertaining opening act and are definitely a band that are worth checking out. 

After a short break Die So Fluid took to the stage and immediately grabbed the growing crowds attention, not least because of Grogs PVC bra and hot pant outfit. The band's Soundgarden-esque grooves demanded attention, especially with Grogs powerful vocals coming at you through the mix.  Being a three piece band is always tough as, inevitably, to get the music across every member finds themselves with a lot to do to flesh out the sound. That meant that vocal duties were shared between the drummer and bassist respectively and also meant that, inevitably, there wasn't a lot of movement onstage. At times guitarist  Drew especially looked very uncomfortable in the spotlight.  

All of this meant that, for the majority of the set visually most of the focus was on Grog, and not just because of her provocative wardrobe. But, to be fair, this is perhaps the only area that Die So Fluid seemed to be lacking. Musically they were spot on, mixing up material from their forthcoming second album alongside tracks from their debut to provide a really powerful 35 minute set, songs such as “Happy Halloween” and “Draw A Line & Cross It” showing an ear for both melody and power. 

As I mentioned in the review of “Throat Full Of Heart” My Ruin have had a lot to contend with in the 18 months or so since they last took the stage at the Academy. It's to their collective credit that, in spite of all of the adversity, they are still one of the most potent live acts on the scene and they seemed to be intent on reinforcing this reputation from the outset. 

Drawing the main focus of tonight's set from “Throat Full Of Heart” and its predecessor “The Brutal Language” Miss B. and her boys put on another powerhouse performance that belied the fact that, until the start of this current run of UK shows, Tarrie hadn't been onstage since before the accident that almost resulted in her left arm being amputated. From opener “Silverlake 6571” to the closing “Made To Measure” medley - the latter with band friend Emma being invited to dance centre stage - My Ruin grooved and battered in equal measure, but also found time to have some fun along the way. Tarrie in particular was in a playful mood and Mick's ever present grin was probably borrowed from a Cheshire cat for the evening. 

One of the biggest surprises came late in the set as, after introducing the band and in particular new old drummer Marcelo Palomino, My Ruin returned to Tarrie and Marcelo's collective past and treated the crowd to the Manhole track “Hypocrite” before blasting through the aforementioned “Made To Measure” and then they were done.  No encores but, after 70 minutes of some of the most brutal grooves around today, everyone in the venue went home happy.

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