After a few seconds of atmospheric feedback at the opening of Canadian punk-rockers Single Mothers' set the audience was engulfed by a wall of sound from which there would be no reprieve.

Vocalist Andrew Thompson led the band, all subtly dressed in uniform black shirts, with a vitality that verged on the furious.

The bass crunched throughout the set, supported by the drummer’s manic speed and the guitarist’s relentless shredding. Maximum distortion and gain were ever-present, and rendered all of Thompson’s lyrics unintelligible, although nobody seemed to care.

The whole band were excellent players who brought real energy to the stage. The music fell somewhere between Billy Talent and Andrew WK. The live show, on the other hand, was more unusual. The crowd threw themselves around, mirroring the band’s on-stage antics with pleasure, crowd-surfing the tiny Hope & Ruin alone, in pairs, or on the back of an inflatable shark.

The band played quality music to avid fans, ultimately crafting a very memorable show.

Four stars