Check out the photo gallery from tonight’s great show here!

It is really surprising that tonight’s top shelf line-up didn’t draw a sell-out crowd, but the folks that did venture out were treated to a great evening of live music in the sweat-fest that summer brings to the Step Inn.

First cab off the rank, upstarts Hungry Kids of Hungary provided a tight set of polished pop – œn roll. These guys are like a mixture of Ben Folds Five, Cold War Kids and Stevie Wonder. Normally there’s a tonne of energy in their live show, yet the Hungries seemed like they were running on a couple of cylinders tonight. Perhaps it was the oppressive humidity in the room, or the fact that for some reason everything tonight sounded like it had been mixed under a muddy blanket. Who knows whether the room sucks (that’s where my money is) or if the soundguy was really an escaped monkey from a top-secret science laboratory, knowing nothing about how to mix a band…

The sound didn’t get any better, nor the sweaty-stench in the room, as Grand Atlantic took to the stage for a set of engaging, simmering and sultry guitar pop that these blokes are the absolute masters of. With a new record soon to hit the airwaves, it was a good opportunity for the band to road test the material before it is unleashed. The crowd was appreciative of the first-rate music, although too exhausted from perspiring their bodyweight to really get anything more substantial happening, except for a couple of braver punters who flung themselves from one end of the room to the other, in what could only be described as a slightly maniacal manner.

The Rocketsmiths are renowned for blistering paint off the walls at each of their live shows, and they did their bit to live up to the reputation this evening. Watching these guys is like being in a dream where you’re at the circus and all these insane and demented characters are playing out their part in the show. It’s terrifying, yet somehow also quite exhilarating to witness the chaos of the wacky circus music vibe that The Rocketsmiths do so well, particularly when it whipped the couple of dervishes in the crowd to re-enact their frenzied dancing from earlier.

Tonight’s headliners, The Devoted Few, had driven all day from Sydney to share their inimitable blend of indie-pop, alt-cool rock and nerd-chic with those of us who were allowed to stay out past 1am. They did a fine job of it too, quickly claiming the stage as their own, justifying their position as one of the most captivating indie acts in Australia. Still with a fairly underground following despite their great songs and inspiring live performances, Devoted Few deserve to be heralded from the rooftops as musical geniuses of the first order.

Their set moved along really quickly, featuring tracks from Sleepless and Billboard Noises, as well as some new material from upcoming release, Baby, You’re A Vampire. They didn’t play an encore, which is one of those things that always polarise bands and punters. It’s expected that you provide an encore, because everyone does it, but at the same time the golden rule is to leave everyone wanting more. I’m really glad that the band didn’t do an encore, because it definitely left us all wanting more! Now we just have to wait for the next chance to see them, hopefully at a bigger, better venue.