Shedding its heavy rock reputation for an evening of tight jeans and scruffy hair, the Annandale was abuzz with indie love for the – œNew Hunting Grounds Tour’. Headlined by likeable Perth lads Sugar Army, the tour also brought Harlequin League, Sydney locals The Wahas and Brisbane’s Villains of Wilhelm.

Despite a minimal turnout, Villains of Wilhelm opened with passion and enthusiasm that filled the room with a pumping, party atmosphere. Lead singer Danny Wilhelm’s mannerisms were reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger, gyrating and screaming his way around the small stage while the band pumped out poppy, punk riffs filled with charismatic energy. Bassist Dylan Atherton aurally assaulted the small crowd with thick, reverberating riffs on tracks such as Wednesday and Elephant, blending perfectly with Wilhelm’s screeching vocal tones. The band’s changes in timing have contributed to their dance-rock reputation, and were highly impressive. The band’s rawness and passion in their performance made it a pleasure to see them live.

Too-cool-for-school indie kids The Wahas were second to the stage. After a positive opening, the band encountered some lengthy sound trouble, which contributed to the group becoming rather snarly and unimpressed. Despite this, the band’s coherent and synchronised instrumentals were well delivered; with their thrashing bass and hard-hitting drums creating an undeniable pop-sensation. Singer Cass looked increasingly unimpressed as their performance continued, particularly during Chorus Girl, where his vocals were not as strong as his counterpart Rupert (which may have been due to faulty sound). Bassist Jack’s vocals were a shining contrast to the other boys, creatively breaking up the set list, adding variation to the musical atmosphere.

Bursting onto the scene and dismissing any previous sound failures, Harlequin League were a needed breath of fresh air. With the release of new EP I Don’t Do Friends earlier this year, the east-coasters appeared enthused, lively and eager to perform. Opening with All Your Wars are Won, Harlequin League instantly created a haunting electro sound. Drummer Miles Lisman almost looked humorous, beating the crap out of his drum kit with 110% concentration, while James Rogers contrasted his clean, beautiful vocals with an echoing, deep bass.

Single Again and Again inspired some dancing from the crowd, as keyboardist Ben Pooley also threw out some interesting moves mid-performance. Amidst a sea of frighteningly high-pitched feedback, guitarist Seb Astone pulled off some wonderfully unique skills, such as moody breakdowns and time-changes. The boys’ performance mixed essences of punk, indie with a dash of filthy electro that just made you want to have a good time.

Suddenly, the Annandale began to fill out. The crowd grew bigger than we had seen for the whole evening, and Sugar Army calmly walked onstage bathed in a blue light. An explosion of sound filled the room: rumbling drums and piercing guitar riffs all combined with vocalist Patrick McLaughlin’s imperfectly shrill vocals. Singles ...And Now You’re Old Enough I Think That You Should Know and Jigsaw received enthusiastic reactions from the crowd, who impressively knew all of the words.

Guitarist Todd Honey has perfected the art of creating a heavy, dark riff while making it dance-friendly, creating a sound of strong indie influence but with bopping undertones. New single Acute from their forthcoming album also received an excitable reception, drummer Jamie Sher performing not a single beat out of time. McLaughlin intently stared into the crowd during his performance, before telling them, “We’re so happy to be here, I mean it!”

The – œNew Hunting Grounds’ tour was a night full of energy, regardless of the size of the crowd. Instead of being a set-back, the small turnout ensured that the gig was intimate, allowing the punters to connect with the music and band members on an enjoyable level.