Looking around half an hour after the doors opened, anyone would have guessed that the night was going to be a quiet one. No line at the door, indie music slurring around the pub, patrons slumped on the couches. Yes, definitely a quiet one.

Everywhere you looked there were black tees and black skinny legs on both males and females. Just as the waiting game was getting a little old, out walks Calling All Cars frontman Hayden Ing (vocals/guitar) and the rest of the band. The relatively unknown (or maybe just to Perth) trio from Melbourne played tracks such as Hey You, from their self titled EP which was a runner for Triple J’s hottest 100 as well as All the Lucky Ones, which sounded like a 1970s punk rock song.

Three songs in, and fed up with the wallflowers, Ing grabbed the mic stand and continued the performance in the middle of the floor, leaving brother and drummer James Ing and Matt Lonergan (bass) to rock it on the stage. With all eyes on Ing, you could tell that the crowd was impressed with both his passion and his daring. Swinging from the beams and jumping on the bass drum, the performance ended with him dropping the mic stand. If you like bands with high energy performances and hard hitting guitars, this is definitely a band to watch out for.

Next on the line-up were Angelas Dish from the Central Coast of New South Wales. The gig must have been a family affair as vocalist/guitarist Michael Harris and guitarist Josh Harris are also brothers. They never fail to point this fact out at their shows. Getting straight into their set, they started off with the pop-rock tune Wear What You Wear. With the release of their new album War on Time we were treated to new material such as an acoustically driven Yeah…But Not Tonight whilst also engaging in friendly conversation with the audience and playing favourites such as On a Sign and When I’m Gone. For their finale, they finished off with their well known first release, the hook-laden Soft November; You might remember the creative underwater jamming video clip that goes with it. Garnering sing-alongs, it proved to be a hit with the ladies.

It was clearly time for The Hot Lies to grace the stage, because the crowd finally filled the room. Enter The Hot Lies with original members Peter Wood (vocals), Leaton Rose (bass), Benjamin Pix (guitar), Jared Brown (drums) and new lead guitarist since the writing process of Ringing in the Sane, Luke Szabo.

Overhead lights blazing, they started with Promise Me from their 2005 release Heart Attacks and Callous Acts and then ripped in to newie Burn for Me. For someone who has only played with the band for a year Szabo is doing a fair job as the lead guitarist, synchronising perfectly with the already well established band. Not showing any signs of slowing down, they played the Japanese (duh) sounding Tokyo, co-written with Perth’s own Eskimo Joe, showing a slight departure from their screamo tag and an entry into mainstream rock.

It was lights out after Breakaway, but the room was still ringing with excitement. As the lights came back on, the crowd welcomed back the band with screams of enthusiasm and requests. Within seconds the guitars were being shredded again to the tune of the title track, Emergency! Emergency! which was recently added to an episode of Channel 10’s cop drama Cane. The Hot Lies, along with the rest of the night’s line-up, did not disappoint the crowd; proving the night wasn’t a quiet one after all.