Dash and Will launched their new EP at the East Brunswick Club on Saturday night, and with pop sensibilities like theirs, along with the inclusion of a great support act lineup, it wasn’t hard to see why the crowd enjoyed themselves. The launch couldn’t have come at a better time for the local lasses, as they ride high off the back of some super supporting slots with internationals such as the Kooks and Futureheads, and look forward to some sets at major festivals – Homebake, Falls and Southbound.

First to the EBC stage were local five-piece The Dowlings who seemed to have drawn a proportionally large crowd for the opening set. A later revelation that it was the band’s first gig was enough to explain this though and made the fact of the crowd’s appreciation for them was as much as it would be for Dash and Will easier to comprehend. Proving themselves more than appropriate for the warm up, the duel vocalists and pop, toe-tapping melodies made them seem like the male counterparts to the headliners, and their inclusion of up-tempo piano certainly gave them their edge.

The room unfortunately depleted once The Dowlings has wrapped up and next on the stage, The Fearless Vampire Killers, were left with downside of playing after a group of first timers. The diminished crowd didn’t diminish TFVK’s performance though, and their blues/psychedelic, Sonics-like sound showed a band who know how to deliver. The danceable Monkey had a couple of punters showing enthusiasm to the style, though for the most part people lingered away from the front of the room. The somewhat comical bassist, Will Dempsey was the highlight though – with his upturned-mop appearance and twitchy body. He had an energy that typified the style and proved these guys should be moving to bigger and better things. Another certainty that proved this point was the somewhat dirty, strident sounds of their bluesy concluding number, Deadline, which no one coming to see Dash and Will would have expected or probably appreciated nearly enough as they should have.

With the room gradually filling back up with pop-enthusiasts, the curtains were drawn on Dash and Will – both grinning with enthusiasm. The bouncy melody of Don’t Leave Me Waiting kicked things off, complete with the duel vocals that are Dash and Will’s stand out feature. Hopping around at every moment they weren’t singing, Dash and Will seemed overly excited and much of the closer crowd responded accordingly. Having a three piece rock band behind them proved (a while ago now) to be a major step up from their acoustic days and this set was no exception, with each member grinning widely and delivering an upbeat stage presence to match the sound.

Too Young Too Dumb and Pick You Up continued the heartening vibes whilst the more pensive Painful had the girls showing their more emotive side. Stopping for a little bit of banter, the girls discussed their antics of snorting vegemite (how exactly they did so is one hell of a question) and wandering the city pinning their ads on people’s backs. What was funny about the latter of the two anecdotes was that all the while there were people wandering the venue slapping Dash and Will stickers on the backs of unsuspecting punters. The girls new single Fighting Over Nothing picked up the pace again, although it was their Easybeats number, Something Wrong that seemed to really excite the five on stage and ended the night on a high.