Photo: Justin Edwads

It’s easy to overlook the strength of Ben Salter’s lungs when microphone duties are shared among The Gin Club, but when armed with just a six string and his voice, Salter shines. Tonight’s set further entrenches his respect among the local scene and highlights his outstanding contributions to the wider Australian rock canon. Drugflowers is enhanced by an unexpected mid-song space-rock effect, while Conor MacDonald joins his bandmate onstage for All Your Men, wherein the pair remind us that whistling is a seriously underused melodic tool. The seated crowd are suitably floored.

After brushing our shoulders throughout the night during frequent bar trips, Gareth Liddiard puts on his game face (hint: it’s much the same as his regular face) and leads us through a satisfying collection of songs better known when performed alongside his band, The Drones. The sparse acoustic instrumentation and distinct lack of distortion pushes his jarring, verbose lyrics to the fore, though he’s perturbed by the incessant crowd chatter. Most of 2008’s Havilah is revised; Salter assists with Oh My, and Liddiard confirms that Penumbra is about urinating in spacesuits. Gala Mill’s Jezebel is a stunning addition to a set that concludes with the incomparable Sixteen Straws, Liddiard’s evocative nine-minute convict-era masterpiece.

ANDREW MCMILLEN

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