As DJ Madusa’s thumping beats resonated across the street, the Ramsgate Hotel natives lolled about in their distinctive costume. The athletic boys wore their brightly-coloured, slogan-emblazoned T-shirts and leering eyes; the petite girls wore their short shorts, and batted big are-you-a-footballer eyes. Anyone incongruously attired stuck out like Osama bin Laden at a CIA barbeque – and got a similar reception from the bar staff.

After a forty-five minute delay – presumably taken to coax more punters inside – Adelaide’s Special Patrol arrived. The sight of a cello on stage is as good an indicator as any of a band not resigned to conformity, and Special Patrol’s brand of pop is anything but pedestrian.

Though long highly-regarded in Adelaide, Special Patrol’s 2006 LP, Handy Hints from the Undertaker proved a catalyst for national recognition and the band has toured consistently since, including support spots for international stars Idlewild, Donovan Frankenreiter and Turin Brakes.

Their refreshingly tuneful songs and blend of pop, indie rock and roots influences have won considerable praise for intelligent song-writing. Today’s set featured a country-tinged theme; drummer Rob Jordan’s Tennessee Three-like shuffle on Changing Emily, Kate Bailey’s mournful cello and the rich harmonies reminiscent of Ryan Adams and the Cardinals blended perfectly with melodic choruses to create a rare, unformulaic sound. The beautifully melancholic soul searcher, Holy Heart, tested singer Myles Mayo’s hoarse voice, but he saw it through to end the set with a gorgeously full-voiced version of CCR’s Have You Ever Seen the Rain.

And so moments later we were brought crashing back to the Ramsgate by DJ Madusa’s “happy, slappy, soulful, sexy house,” where we eagerly awaited the arrival of the next act.

Keeping an eight-piece funk band together in Adelaide is undoubtedly difficult, and New White Sneakers has endured capricious line-ups and the consequent sporadic gig schedules since forming in 2001. They have recently regained their position on the Adelaide scene, however, boosted by regular airplay on Fresh FM and the unrelenting funk power of their live sets.

The band squeezed uncomfortably onto the modest stage, but clearly wasn’t the least bit fazed. The punters not won over by Special Patrol were soon ensnared by the gravitational pull of vocalist Lesley Williams’ stage presence, and the grinding, high-energy funk quickly drew more in behind them from outside. Williams’ sassy voice wove with the razor-sharp band and rapid-fire raps of the male vocalist for a very tight sound.

The sexy new single, Not Good Enough, was well received, but their music does borrow heavily from funk classics and it was the covers – Prince’s When Doves Cry and De La Soul’s Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) – that garnered the biggest reaction. Their talent is unarguable, but the New White Sneakers will need to write more original, airplay-worthy singles if they are to avoid a residency at SkyCity.