Photo: Justin Ma

Madeleine Page and her backing singer/guitarist sing pretty melodies, but since they’re one of those stealth support acts you only find out on the night are going to delay the bands you actually want to see, it takes me half their set to get over the seething resentment and realise how good they are.

“Everybody should stand up!” End Of Fashion say to the people sitting on the steps in the middle of the floor, earning the ire of the short people who aren’t at the front. End Of Fashion crib pretty blatantly from bands like You Am I, who cribbed a fair bit from The Who themselves. But who cares? This kind of pre-chewed rock is perfect for the kids – everybody had to be spoon-fed once upon a time. If I had a little sister I would totally buy her their album and point out how hot the bass player is. They finish with Fussy, which is a genuinely great song even without rationalisation.

One of her early songs, In And Out, kicks off Kate Miller-Heidke’s set. It’s a sign that tonight, probably the last chance we’ll have to see her this year, is going to be a crowd-pleaser for the fans. Several obscurities pop up, like The Day After Christmas (which gives Keir Nuttall a chance to show off his guitar chops) and a song about being a stalker that only seems to get aired live. There’s also the debut of a brand-new song about what happens when an evil ex-boyfriend tries to get in touch via Facebook, which is hilarious. All of the big numbers are here as well of course, including a huge singalong for award-winner Caught In The Crowd and an even bigger one for her trademark encore showstopper cover of You’re The Voice.

JODY MACGREGOR

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