Voodoo slammed their first slot on the bill, with Sacred Mother Tongue headlining this night, and after talking briefly with their lead guitar-messiah Andy James, I had the pleasure of sitting in on Sacred Mother Tongues soundcheck beforehand. I must say, watching Andy James warm-up is a spectacle in itself. Like a God practicing throwing thunder, he fires through more notes in a few seconds than many bands fit into entire discographies. Thats all before the shackles are cast off, the volume is cranked way up, and a liberal smattering of distortion and effects make up his live tone. The industrys great, if you dont wanna be in a band, James mentions beforehand, encapsulating the motivation behind the bands farewell tour thats in its second of five nights tonight. Although Sacred Mother Tongue have been going for almost ten years, even opening up Download Festivals Main Stage on the sunday after a blinding debut album in Out of the Darkness, sadly the cogs just havent been slipping into place behind the scenes in a way that benefits the guys as much as they deserve. Instead of petering out and crawling to the finish, Sacred have had a limited print of RIP t-shirts made for fans to remember them by, and are finishing their (hopefully first) pop at the industry in style. Even with the last hurrah sentimentalities in effect, throughout the gig aside from acknowledging how grateful they all were that people had turned out for their final time in Newcastle Upon Tynes upstairs Think Tank venue, the band were playing just as hard as they always have. It's hard to put into words what it's like watching someone as phenomenally talented as Andy James live. His solos were all nothing short of mesmerising, and with a bank of advanced skills practiced to perfection the only way that a man who makes a living teaching guitar can, he remains one of the finest guitarists on the planet, and one that a quick Youtube'ing will confirm for any unacquainted with his work. It was a resolutely solid set, leaning heavily on the bands newer material that allows Darrin Souths incredible vocals let soar across a sound system that actually worked a treat in the tiny venue. As far as song-choices go, it was a best-of showcase taken from Out of the Darkness. Everything from the monstrous Pawn and the anthemic Seven, to last official single A Light Will Shine. All built to thunderous climax as set-closing-singalong Evolve/Become rounded off a solid smattering of tracks. Its a shame these guys have to call it a day so soon on what felt like a bout of upward momentum for the fans over the past year, but forces out of their control have made it so. Thus ends one hell of a night of some of the best heavy music on offer in 2013. Sadly Sacred Mother Tongue are all but done, but I still encourage you to seek out their latest work, all the while Voodoo Six are carrying the hard-rock flag with an unbridled purpose. Have any of you guys checked these bands out before? Did you catch them on tour? Is this the first you're hearing of Sacred calling it quits? Let us know in the comments!