It’s just about the oldest piece of advice going: no matter how many (or how few) people watch you, play like there’re thousands; play like your life depended on it. As with all advice, it’s easier to give than to take heed. Tonight proves the perfect example. It’s Saturday night but there’re bugger all people in Luton’s Student Union, which means a show that should see the rising star of local boys, Blackhole, soar higher never really gets off the backburner.

Luton’s The 40 Seven is the first to suffer the barren crowd. Playing to at most a dozen people noticeably curbs the band; a disappointed look dons faces and a somewhat tepid energy is more than apparent. It’s the type of the night the quintet will need to take on the chin before getting on with blasting hardcore (chainsaw riffs and gut-punching vocals) to bulkier audiences.

Throats arrive late, soundcheck during the break, and then barrage the room with a pummelling beast of a sound. It lasts for one song and then it’s over. More than a few puzzled looks are exchanged before it becomes apparent the band will not continue. A dispute with the sound-engineer brings this one to an untimely close.

The Plight has more energy than a Ritalin popping school kid. From the off frontman Al is entrenched within the slightly busier audience, although the size of the circle he’s able to operate within is ridiculously large. As the band tear through a set that’s made up of one part screaming hardcore, one part classic rock, and one part gutter metal, it becomes noticeable that those foot-taps are becoming slightly more vigorous, head banging is seeping into the equation and people are starting to enjoy themselves. By the end of the set that circle has become much more condensed and The Plight is proving to be an exciting prospect. There’s a reason these guys played the Reading/Leeds festivals last month: the band’s live show is spot on. Performance of the evening, no doubt.

Considering this is the closest Blackhole will get to its hometown this tour, you might have expected a few more bodies through the door, especially on a Saturday night. But it’s not to be. It’s a shame but, buoyed by The Plight’s performance, those here are trying to make up for the wider absence.

With debut album Dead Hearts having dropped this past Monday, the Watford quintet sets about showcasing that new material. Like his colleague beforehand, singer Richard Carter is encamped within the crowd and he doesn’t mind telling you it’s nice not to be “playing the same songs over and over”. Those new songs don’t stray too far from the beaten path, adhering to the punk rock tinged hardcore blueprint that was on display in town this past February. It’s not groundbreaking but it is delivered well, a marked improvement showing each time the band rolls around.

Packing in a 45 minute set, it’s pretty much a non-stop affair, excusing a quick pause to wish Mrs. Carter a happy birthday (those boys do love their mama). The thing is, a little of the intensity is missing. It’s most likely a knock-on effect of the diminutive crowd, but the fierceness you’d expect of a hardcore show is lacking. Carter almost by rote attempts to whip up a storm, but for all the shouting in faces there’s little return. Compare this to the band’s last performance at the SU (a Johnny Truant support slot resulted in pitting, screaming and even a dust-up) and it’s all a little, well, polite. Hardly the rapturous evening a band celebrating a long-awaited debut release (there’s even a giant cookie to commemorate it) would have wanted. Still, you can’t win them all.

Sadly, in this case, it’s just another example of Luton music fans dropping the ball. You had it handed o you on a plate. Now where were you?