So The Cops and Expatriate are in the middle of a full scale tour, which sees them take in multiple cities across all the states. Tonight they play to a sold out audience in their hometown of Sydney. As I walk into the Metro I get ready to show the security guard my id. “You don’t need it tonight, it’s an all ages show”. Normally alarm bells would be ringing by now, but I’ll keep an open mind. It appears that 80% of the crowd are teenagers, and that makes me wonder whether the show would have sold out if it had been over 18s.

Opening tonight is The Seabellies, a talented six-piece from Newcastle that thrives on chaos and partakes in bouts of instrument-swapping every few songs. For this relatively new band they seem very comfortable on the Metro stage, all their songs are performed flawlessly and they leave a lasting impression on the young crowd. To compare The Seabellies to a novice Arcade Fire isn’t completely insane, although whichever comparisons get thrown their way is a moot point, as they are more than able enough to be placed on their own pedestal.
It’s not often that you see all members of a band swap instruments: keyboards for saxophones, guitars for drums and bass for trumpets. The Seabellies bring a refreshing change and new perspective to the local music scene. I have no hesitation in proclaiming that this is a band to watch, as good things will no doubt come their way.

The Cops and Expatriate are on a rotating headline, and the short straw goes to Expatriate who are first on. This is a band that’s grown in leaps and bounds. What’s apparent is that they seemed to have gone from band members to rock stars, if the yells and shrieks are anything to go by. Blasting into Killer Kat the band has an impressive projector light show as a backdrop. They work their way through most tracks from their EPs, whereas the slicker tracks from uber-produced debut In the Midst of This doesn’t ignite the same emotion from me. For me Expatriate were at their artistic prime when they were still trying to make a name for themselves playing tiny clubs across town. Now that they finally made it I can’t help but feel uneasy as Ben King struts through the crowd, gets a punter on stage to play harmonica and yells “Put your fucking hands up Sydney” to the mass in front of them. Expatriate was no doubt well received, but I miss those good ol’ days when showmanship was a pipe dream, and pure emotion made the early shows so special. Still, it’s not hard to see who the headliner should have been tonight.

Which leaves us with The Cops. They were one of the biggest buzz bands in 2004 / 2005 when Stomp on Tripwires was released, then they went quiet for awhile. They recently emerged with a new EP and album as well as supported a string of international artists, and are slowly regaining the reputation they once had. But try as they might the crowd couldn’t get worked up for them. It’s not that The Cops were dull, they put a huge effort into their performance, perhaps it was that they took to the stage so late (11:40pm) and the crowd seemed partied out from the previous band? Frontman Simon Carter was trying to get punters’ hips shaking and arms waving to little or no avail, even when clap-happy singles like Cop City Music and Call Me Anytime made appearances. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t put a foot wrong: they played a set most bands would envy, and were in high spirits and engaged in the usual band/crowd banter, but after Expatriate’s efforts it would have been a difficult gig to follow for anyone.