Another trip out west for this last hoorah for Strike Hard Bookings. It was announced recently that Strike Hard Bookings were no longer, and that this gig at Bowman Hall in Blacktown would be their last. After a few changes in the days line up (drop outs from Dream on Dreamer and Feed her to the Sharks) we hoped it would be worth the drive from the eastern suburbs.

The day started with some solid acts including 2 local sydney bands Stories and Aftermath who (literally) kicked off the day in style. The rest of the day included a huge line up: Iron Mind, Phantoms, Renegade, Backtrack, The Bride, Northlane, Shinto Katana, Thy Art Is Murder and headliners Confession. However, only some are worth their own paragraph in this review.

Iron Mind (pictured below) put on a decent set and as did Renegade, who were playing a reunion show (but only played their farewell show a few months ago - not exactly a long hiatus). Renegade clearly had the local crowds support, and the kids were windmilling and getting sweaty nice and early in the afternoon.

Phantoms were killing it the moment their set began, and deserved a higher spot on the bill. The drums and guitars were tighter than most bands on the day and their energy was contagious. The Bride were up next and this band had a sizeable fanbase attending on the day. They played tracks mostly from their 2011 released debut album "President Rd", the songs were well known within the audience and many times audience members got a hold of the microphone and had their 5 seconds of fame singing (or screaming more like).

Northlane have come a long way in 2011 and are heading in a similar direction to what Dream on Dreamer were 12 months ago. These guys are looking to have a promising future, and I'm sure they won a few more fans on Sunday at Strike Hard. The first time there was a line at the merch desk was at the end of their set, so that's saying something.

Backtrack (USA) were the only international band on the festival's bill, and having never seen them before I was interested to catch their set. They put on a solid show and the crowd got very rowdy after suggestions from the vocalist to get up on stage, possibly too rowdy when a fight broke out in the pit, triggering the band to stop mid-song.

After another punch up between sets, Shinto Katana took to the stage. This band, sounds to me, like many other hardcore bands, and I can't seem to become a fan of them. Another band, who I most definitely can't become a fan of, Thy Art is Murder were second headline. This band are not my thing. That is all I can say.

Confession ended the night, playing surprisingly to the smallest crowd of the day. Maybe it was past the kids bedtime, maybe they'd all left to get in fights, or maybe Thy Art is Murder had murdered their brain cells, not too sure, but many people left early. Bad choice people, cos' Confession were by far the best of the day.