It's rare in metal to get an audience mostly full of women but Bristol proved this can happen as LA veterans MY RUIN tore up The Fleece during their last UK tour.

The Fleece was also one of the first places guitarist Mick Murphy played when he joined the band as part of the tour following 2001's "A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish" so it is a fitting end that the band graced the venue again.

It's clear the band have come a long way since then, honing their gothic, stoner, Southern tinged metal over several albums. The band is also remarkable for its deeply personal lyrics that touch on female identity, lapsed faith and the supernatural.

However in many ways they remain one of metal's best kept secrets – solidly good on albums but not really getting the recognition they deserve.

The band were on fiery form throughout the gig with front-woman Tairrie B Murphy proving yet again, in my opinion, that she is the best female metal vocalist out there. She is equally able to draw you in and then terrify you with vocals that evoke demonic possession.

The band played a strong mix of old and new, beginning with "Monolith of Wrath", the opener of new album "The Sacred Mood".
They also played a number of fan favourites such as "Blasphemous Girl" where every word was sang along to devotedly by the crowds and "Heart Sick" – which boosts an intro rumbling to such degrees it might wake the devil himself.

Additionally, a real highlight of the show was a raucous cover of grunge staple classic "Touch Me I'm Sick" by MUDHONEY. MY RUIN was joined on stage by SERVERS frontman Lee Storrar with Tairrie and him flirting and dancing like some kind of metal version of Sandy and Danny from Grease. Despite the jollities, all the while they screamed the vocals, making the classic their own.

At one point the band stopped the show following excessive filming by their devoted fan-base. Tairrie urged fans not to take videos to instead live in the moment.

She said: "Before there was no Facebook and YouTube to upload a crappy quality video to, you just enjoyed the moment and stopped obsessing about recording everything to live it vicariously later. Why don't you put down the camera and enjoy the show with us – we don't want you to miss our last UK gigs because you're behind your phone screen."

The band ended on "Beauty Fiend" from "A Prayer Under Pressure". The crowd got even closer to the stage and passionately sang every word to the song – a call to arms on narrow definitions of female beauty and how Tairrie faced sexism from the music press.

It is a shame that it is the band's last tour on our shores. Nevertheless, the band went out with a bang and their new record, has just graced our shelves. Do yourself a favour and pick it up because you won't be able to catch them live in this country again.

PICTURES BY BRENDAN DAVIS