SOME bands come and most bands go but some bands never quite arrive and never quite leave.

This is true of the mighty Panacea who last graced these pages in January 2002 before self-imploding while continuing to make promises. Based in Risca and Blackwood, the four-piece spent much of 2001 and 2002 recording demos and propping up lesser bands in TJ's, Clwb etc. They produced a demo of uncompromising songs like the Pigs, Junkie and something about ice-cream which never quite made sense.

Slayer and Frank Zappa influenced them in equal measure with the brutality of the former and the craziness of the latter infusing their songs with a peculiarly Valleysness.

There was always a certain something to everything they did which they completely failed to capitalise on.

But now they're back and are live in Newport and Blackwood over the next two months.

And this week they recorded an album's worth of new songs for which singer Nigel was keeping his voice so couldn't talk too much. "We're back," he told Venue.

l Find them in the Meze Lounge, Newport, on Tuesday, March 28, the Riverside Tavern on Wednesday, April 19, and Blackwood Miners' Institute on Saturday, April 29.