The Troubadour - Fri April 13

The glove-clad Wind&Brackets do a pretty standard job of opening tonight's proceedings and the early, but sizeable, crowd seem fairly indifferent to their Strokes-like new wave rock.

It is then a bunch of would-be Parisians in the form of Les Fancy Boys who finally tear the eager Troubadour crowd (what the French would call) a new 'trou du cul'. The trio, claiming to have just landed from gai Paris itself, unleash a balls-out assault of fiercely spat indie-punk, while their hilariously French brogue-delivered banter keeps the throng well entertained.

As Violent Soho take the stage there is a definite air of anticipation in the now very full room. This band have turned a lot of heads over the past twelve months with their grunge driven indie rock, and tonight's gig sees them in their most impressive form yet. New tracks blend seamlessly with their older ones, but encouragingly present a band that is evolving and moving forward at a very rapid pace. Their stage presence is typically venomous as frontman Luke Boerdam spits out every note at a more than receptive audience. However, in usual form their show only lasts around eight songs, leaving the crowd ultimately satisfied, but quietly wanting more.

There is a quick rush to the front as Melbourne lads Bit by Bats enter and straight away kick off with tracks from their, well… really fucking good new album GO GO GO! They vow to play the majority of the album and launch into One Six One, which along with All Night and Neon Flux impress the still very active crowd. The element that positively sets Bit by Bats apart from their other counterparts is they write and deliver an exceptionally interesting brand of garage new-wave punk. Their lyrical quirks and musical twists truly place them on a much higher and far more impressive level from the abundance of similar bands invading radio and MySpace. Although they do seem a smidgeon tired tonight, the band delivers a memorable set leaving fans eager for their next trip to Brisneyland.

KURT SANDERS

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