My second time at this roaming rock circus. Not usually my cup of tea all that heavy, thrashy stuff, but it’s actually a quality festival, even if I was one of the oldest there by a long way, at the (mildly) tender age of 34!

Date: April 22

Nottingham’s Talbot Street once again became the epicentre of a maelstrom of chaos on Sunday when thousands of youthful-looking rock fans consumed the street for Hit The Deck #2.

It’s the city’s all-day indoor alternative rock, hardcore, deathcore, screamcore or whatever-core festival, starting at 12:30pm and ending at 11pm with the uber-popular headliners, Kids In Glass Houses.

Only a brief shower dampened the rock disco on Talbot Street, as a DJ dressed as a frog (not even the weirdest image of the day!) played tunes to those milling around the area outside Rock City, creating a buzz which was constant throughout.

But it was inside where things were getting crazy. The Dangerous Summer filled out the main hall, while down the street at Stealth, Silent Scream’s riotous deatchcore made the tiny venue a melting pot of sweat, beer, and possibly blood.

With over 45 bands spanning five venues, decisions as to whom to watch were tricky, but the brilliantly-titled A*** Full of Chips – with their crazy ska-punk and comic post-modern lyrics (not to mention a naked, rotund man dancing) – were a must at the Forum, as were Rescue Rooms headliners Bat Sabbath a.k.a. Toronto’s finest hardcore deviants Cancer Bats playing Black Sabbath songs.

Back in Rock City’s main hall, Of Mice and Men were not a book reading session from John Steinbeck’s classic novel, but brutal metalcore from California which provoked a ‘wall of death’ and chaotic scenes.

Welsh rockers Kids in Glass Houses’ radio-friendly output rounded off the festival in the main hall, but its highlights were elsewhere, as Sheffield’s gonzo mathcore experts Rolo Tomassi headlined after hardcore extremists The Defiled had played to a small but enthusiastic audience.

In its second year as a festival, Hit The Deck was a crazy, ridiculous and mental surefire hit.