After tonight’s attendees had prayed at the altar of the Monster energy truck, it was time to rejoice tonight’s ceremony.

Another four up and coming bands had the opportunity to play at arguably Preston’s best venue, which each act took full advantage of. The second heat was a more contemporary affair and all of the bands were very much in the here and now.

Openers Above the Underground had a tonne of youthful energy which was mainly down to an admirably enthusiastic bass player.

At times the band seemed to be finding their feet, having to battle a muddy mix, but in the end executed their style well enough.

Second on were Manchester’s Leopards. Having a female vocalist and falling into the emo/ contemporary style is no doubt going to draw comparisons with US rockers Paramore.

To be fair, leopards did have a few similarities to the band but, thankfully, had enough of their own style to stand out. Their set was tailored to the live arena and they worked vigorously to win over the audience.

The betting man would’ve picked Population Four to claim the night due to their large following. These local hopefuls evidently haven’t got this reputation from nowhere and the professionalism they showed was impressive

The songs clearly had hours of blood and sweat put into them and tracks such as ‘This Town Will Drag You Down’ had the crowd nibbling from their hands.

Last but not least were Hippys on the Hill. The band name was certainly deceiving with Hippys… having no peaceful intentions at all.

The band were clearly into experimentation and displayed a wider scope of sounds than the acts before them. Confident from the start, Hippys… were an ideal way to end the night.

The betting man would have won the second heat with Population Four guaranteeing a place in the final. With things heavying up a few notches next week, the competition is far from over.

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