CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE TAPERJEAN SHOWCASE HERE TO SEE THE MADNESS THAT WENT DOWN.

Brisbane indie band Letter To Spain were out to impress Sydney and impress they did. Their music was catchy and their sounds diverse. Strong lead vocals were provided by Daniel Stewart and backed by Jake Pierson, and all four band members were full of energy, moving all over the stage. By the end of a tight set, they had won the crowd over, getting the night off to a great start.

Next up were Closure In Moscow . If the first band was full of energy, then these guys were filled to overflowing. They obviously wanted to go out with a bang, this being their last Sydney show before moving to the States in September. The band came onstage to choir music, with vocalist Chris de Cinque strutting out barefoot and wearing a satin and lace dress. They upped the energy level in the room, playing a strong, playful set to an appreciative crowd. The music from the dual guitars was especially enjoyable.

The Mission In Motion did their bit to further energise the crowd by playing a solid set of melodic rock. Opening with the track The News from their new EP, the entire band threw themselves into the performance. Vocalist Brett Islaub engaged the crowd, seeming to challenge them to see how crazy they could get. There was one very enthusiastic fan who seemed to accept Islaub’s challenge, causing this reviewer to duck away from his flailing limbs. The crowd became even more boisterous when Fifty-Sixx frontman Ben Britton came out to sing The Window with Islaub, who jumped into the crowd during the song to the delight of fans.

Headliners Fifty-Sixx stepped out to raucous applause. As the last act, this reviewer expected them to at least maintain the energy level set by The Mission, so it was a bit disappointing when they actually seemed to bring it down a bit. However, they played a nice, solid set, playing a few tracks from their latest EP, and bringing out The Mission’s Islaub to return the favour and sing a duet for Let It Ride. Just before the last song of the set, Britton invited the Taperjean Records owner onstage while Islaub led the crowd in Happy Birthday.

The festivities descended into a food fight involving the birthday cake, before Fifty-Sixx got down to business and finished off their set with Money Can’t Buy Class, while pandemonium ensued onstage.