Tonight felt more like being at a family barbeque than a local gig. It was quite the family affair, with a marriage proposal, a little sister leaving the band and a baby on the way. The only thing missing from the whole occasion was the seedy uncle leering at his nieces after having a few too many VB stubbies. Oh, and there were some great tunes as well.

Skinny Jean are a band that know how to use their members’ idiosyncrasies to dramatic effect. They have a bubbly and boisterous vibe, yet mixed in with it are some more introspective, almost dark elements that are really fascinating. A soon-to-be-dad, front man, Shem is quite magnetic. He has a slightly manic obsessive compulsive vibe that is reminiscent of crazy ol’ Joe Cocker. Drummer Sam ’s little sister Heidi is no longer playing with the group after tonight. It’s a shame, because she was responsible for a large part of their endearing dynamic. Hopefully they won’t lose their quintessential quirkiness without her, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Rocketsmiths were like being smacked with a solid concrete block of rockabilly-infused punk-pop. They had a wall of sound that Phil Spector would be proud of if he wasn’t going to jail. They deliver upbeat, rocking tunes that are a little too blockish at time. Some of the tunes could benefit from more dynamic variations and soundscape layering, rather than having all five of the band members blasting at full throttle the entire time.

The Boat People are travelling the length and breadth of the country on their Chandeliers album tour at the moment, and tonight was all about celebrating their homecoming with a few hundred close friends and family. With fairy-lit trees adorning the stage, the band immediately encouraged the more dance-floor shy members of the audience to come and share the love down the front.

Delivering almost-perfect whimsical pop, these guys know how to write beguiling masterpieces of savoury melody. If you haven’t heard Chandeliers yet, you’d be well advised to check it out. Current Triple J favourite Awkward Orchid Orchard goes down a treat, as do cuts from their previous LP release, YesYesYesYesYes, including Unsettle My Heart and Tell Someone Who Cares.

However, if the show was overshadowed by anything, it was guitarist, Charles, proposing marriage to his girlfriend on stage, complete with the band covering the Prince tune, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. I couldn’t decide if the move was beautiful and heartfelt or cheesy, and then decided to just embrace the moment and with a tear in my eye, turned to my brethren who were similarly overcome by the family barbeque atmosphere tonight and declared, ‘Bring on the burnt snags!’