My first visit to the Craufurd Arms in a while and it’s been all change in the music room. A new, elevated stage has totally altered the venue’s aesthetic; on a subliminal level it now feels that bands are up where they belong (unlike some venues where the stage is a mere 1 or 2 feet from the ground), whilst the stage lights cast a more vivid hue. All that remains is to check out the sound and what better way to break my duck that with two of North America’s brightest groups?

What I first thought was a tornado raging through the venue actually turned out to be Pottsville-based hard rockers Crobot. It’s an easy mistake to make because the band have a tempestuous air, the four members conspiring to become a whirlwind that sucks the whole venue into its swirling vortex. ‘Battle Cry’ is the aptly-titled opener and finds vocalist Brandon Yeagley contorting like a felidae in human form and performing some impressive vertical leaps. An opening band will often play to a half full room, the crowd pitching up just in time to catch the headliners, yet such is the buzz surrounding this quartet that it’s standing room only as the band blast through ‘Foot Off’ (with foot very much on the pedal) and ‘Bigger By The Pound’. Perhaps testament to the band’s frenetic nature, they’ve burned through several rhythm sections in their 15-year history, but in Nico Jansen (drums) and Willie Jansen (bass) they have a pairing who look well equipped to go the distance, switching up tempos and rhythms to great effect. As the band head towards closer ‘Nowhere To Hide’ there’s a whole lot of perspiring going on, guitarist Chris Bishop draining the tank to ensure that the band depart in a blaze of glory (and distortion).

If there’s one band who could pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Crobot, then it’s undoubtedly The Damn Truth. Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, the band first came to prominence via their 2012 debut album Dear In The Headlights, whilst tours with the likes of ZZ Top and King King solidified their reputation as enfant terrible of the hard rock scene. They’ve a career that’s been built on solid foundations, almost non-stop touring rendering them a finely oiled machine meaning that when they take to the Craufurd Arms tonight they are firmly in the groove. However, first it’s Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ that floats over the PA, an intro tape that has a strangely hypnotic effect, meaning that when the band launch into ‘Be Somebody’, they connect with full force. It feels as if The Damn Truth have a special relationship with the UK, putting in some serious mileage here, and it seems the feeling is reciprocal; waves of affection radiate between crowd and stage (and back again). Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Lee-La Baum sings like the reincarnation of Janis Joplin, pulling her words from the depths of her soul and adding a layer of warmth to the band’s sound. It means that tracks like ‘This Is Who We Are Now’ have an instant sing-along quality (even if you don’t know the words) and as such have a unifying affair, locking crowd and band into a singular groove. That groove is provided by drummer Dave Traina and bassist Pierre-Yves Letellier, who operate with a type of jazz-infused-blues swing (the type of swing pioneered by Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward); it’s tight-but-loose and ensures the likes of ‘Get With You’ connect with full force. Pierre-Yves is particularly animated, constantly jumping up and down (like Zebedee on a trampoline) and makes the perfect foil for studious six stringer Tom Schemar who plays with an Andy Williams level of coolness, making his fretwork fireworks look so easy. Four individual characters who come together in a cohesive whole, The Damn Truth leave it all on the stage, but draw upon all their energy reserves to deliver a well deserved encore in the shape of ‘Devilish Folk’.

With the passing of every festival season an increasingly pressing question is who will be tomorrow’s headliners? The answer can be found in North America and bands like The Damn Truth and Crobot.

The Damn Truth Set List:

1. Be Somebody
2. Killer Whale
3. Love Outta Luck
4. Addicted
5. The Willow
6. This Is Who We Are Now
7. All Night Long
8. If I Don’t Make It Home
9. Lonely
10. Only Love
11. Look Innocent
12. Get With You
13. Tomorrow

Encore:

14. Devilish Folk

Crobot Set List:

1. Battle Cry
2. Foot Off
3. Bigger By The Pound
4. Plague Of The Mammoths
5. Cold Blooded
6. Happy Days
7. Me And Your Mother
8. Girl From Another World
9. Gasoline
10. Let It Kill Me
11. Not For Sale
12. Trouble (Looking For You)
13. Low Life
14. Nowhere To Hide