It didn't start easily, though.

Wednesday, the 17th of February was one of these days that could, quite crudely put, go fuck themselves with a chainsaw and bleed to death for all I cared. I was hungover (blame Coalition and their £1 Jägerbombs), still had a cold, had no ticket to the gig and had to face someone being incredibly rude to me for no valid reason. In retrospect, I was probably just grumpy and tired, on top of being hungover, but it all drove me crazy to a point where I almost cried in McDonalds because the wifi wouldn't work on my phone. Yes, one of those days.

After almost getting on a fight with a tout who tried to rip me off of five pounds, I found myself a ticket and got in at the very end of Wolf Down's performance. I apparently missed out on a vegan revolution, but I'm more than happy to relay the message.

Next up were the Canadians of Counterparts, and from the top of my staircase, I was dreading the moment when they would play Ghost. The song, being all about singer Brendan Murphy's grandfather, who is living with Alzheimer's, hits home harder than any song ever had and ever will, and I cannot listen to it without crying. Considering the intensity of the melodic hardcore mob, I could picture myself crying harder than ever.

And it didn't happen.

And I still can't figure out if I'm grateful or not.

Ghost aside, Counterparts' performance was nothing short of excellent. Their aforementioned intensity that sweats through every note and every word is, in my opinion, their biggest quality, and they have an ability to interact with crowds and get them involved like none other. The singalongs during songs such as Compass resonate throughout the venue and probably the entirety of London. It is more than easy to see why they are quickly finding themselves in the leading forces of hardcore music as we speak, and it is more than deserved. They are raw and honest, and live, they are nothing but solid and impressive. I had decided I would stick around after seeing them supporting Architects just over a year ago, and I am still not going anywhere. Counterparts have my heart, and we're all stuck together now.

Third up was my favourite band on the line up, the Americans of Stray From the Path. It is no secret to anyone that I wholeheartedly agree with their message and what they stand for, and I think they are one of the most important bands of our generation. (It also doesn't help that their music does all of the above whilst being incredibly catchy. In the words of the unforgettable Hannah Montana, they are the best of both worlds) As it had been in November when they headlined the Underworld themselves, their set is chaos and the audience wreaks havoc around the poles of the venue. On stage, as always, the boys in Stray From the Path enjoy the opportunity they are given to be in front of the crowd and to relay their message.

Stray From the Path stand for a whole lot of important issues, but on that Wednesday, two of them rang louder than ever. First of all, the calling out of sexual predators in our scene (such as Ian Watkins or, as they reportedly did on another show, Charlie Holmes of the late Heart in Hand) as an introduction to 2015's D.I.E.P.I.G. I have said it before and I will say it again, and I will not stop until they are stopped. We cannot let this happen again, and we can't carry on protecting these men because they are in bands.

They also mentioned the Paris attacks again. I'm going to be quite honest here (as I always am, really) - Drew's speech on how it was being forgotten by the media and how he refused to let the victims and their families down left me sobbing so hard I was shaking incontrollably. There are no existing words for how grateful I am to Drew for these words and to Stray From the Path for the stands they constantly take. I have never been prouder to call myself a fan of this band and I can never stress this enough : we NEED more bands like them, more stands to be taken, more people who are not afraid to walk on a stage and say a really big fuck you to Ian Watkins, to Front Porch Step, to Austin Kerr, to Charlie Holmes and whoever else thinks abusing a teenager is okay, more people who know how to spread their message and views of the world without creating more hatred, more people who actively fight to make the world a better place.

If you don't listen to Stray From the Path already, put on your headphones and go for it. It's not just about the music. It's about more than that.

Headlining this little gig thing were hardcore heroes Stick to Your Guns. As far as hardcore bands go, they are the major one in our scene at the moment. Who has been to a heavy music gig and hasn't seen someone donning some STYG merch? No one, that's who. They are a staple name in our scene, been going strong for over ten years now, and considering that Wednesday night, I can see no signs of it stopping anytime soon. They were in London for two very special shows, one during which they played their album Diamond in full and the other one during which they performed the entirety of 2015's Disobedient. My show was the Diamond one, and I can tell you one thing - it was incredible.

Despite knowing the band's name and their general genre, I had never listened to their music, and despite them constantly touring and seemingly playing Europe every five weeks, I had never seen them live either. To say I was discovering is the closest thing to the truth, as, in a way, I was thrown into something I knew nothing about. And boy, I wish I did.

You know how, somethimes, you will see a band live and know no lyrics but wish you did so you could take part in what's happening, because even from the outside, you know how special it is? That was Stick to Your Guns live for me.

I also found myself very moved by the Americans - by a whole lot of elements, really. There was vocalist Jesse Barnett's speech about the end of his relationship that hit me like a brick in the face at full speed. There was also the speech about the Paris attacks and religion and the "they believed they were doing the right thing" bit and it gave me goosebumps. There was the way Jesse speaks in between songs, becoming the most honest storyteller mere seconds after being an incredibly intense performer. And there was Diamond's last track, the heartwrenching Built Upon the Sand, with its powerful "I understand you". There is the message, there is the live rendition and there is the crowd participation that went with it and there was my heart lying there on the floor.

As I have mentioned, before that fateful Wednesday, I had never listened to Stick to Your Guns, and after an excellent hour long performance, I have left the Underworld sold and in love. It was intense and passionate and heartbreaking in the best way, which is all I ever ask from music, really. It seems that Stick to Your Guns tick all of the boxes and I cannot see any reason why I wouldn't carry on listening to that lot. It was an excellent gig and one I won't forget anytime soon. It was also one of these live moments that left me so overwhelmed and shaking I did not really understand what happened. It just hit me hard in the best way, and sometimes, it's all I need.

Dear Stick to Your Guns, thank you.

PS : Does anyone know why they have dedicated a song to The Xcerts? There is so much confusion lying around about this and I think my life requires an answer.