Hell Is For Heroes @ The Venue

A surprisingly small crowd assemble to take in this hard-rocking emo quintet from London tonight, and although their sonics are more than a touch like any number of American proponents of the same sound, their music had a quality and intensity that set them apart. Their music has a more vibrant and passionate core than a fair share of the current wave of art-rock and indie shite filling the charts, and live they surpassed their polished recorded sound, playing tracks from most recent release 'Transmit Disrupt'. Regardless of the lackluster attendance this was an inspired gig that only suffered from being too brief. With The Venue closing in June, options for these types of bands in Edinburgh will be limited to say the least, unless one of the numerous clubs around town suddenly starts doing something decent for the live music scene. [Xavier Toby]