With most of the Uni students out of town, the night started out a little quiet at the Super Best Friends CD launch at ANU Bar. First supporting act Hoodlum Shouts caught some of the audience’s attention with some eerie vocals and taunting guitar. It created an emotionally stimulating sound which most seemed to be taken by and it got the audience swaying. Adding a little harmonica to the set made the band all the more intriguing, bringing a little folk into a rock show always steps it up. Hoodlum Shouts gave an incredibly versatile performance strengthening each song with solid chorus and heartfelt melodies.

Although there was limited crowd interaction, the audience seemed captivated by the bands interconnection. An open plan venue with plenty of pool tables and central seating provided a relaxed atmosphere for the easy going crowd, some of them who seemed not too fazed about anything made it a little difficult for the night to get rowdy, which is not always a bad thing.

Death Mattel busted out with some heavy vocals, echoed by solid metal sounds. They delivered their choruses in a softer tone with plenty of emotion, and the crowd began to move around a little more. Alternating between metal and alternative rock, Death Mattel had plenty of ways to mix it up, adding some clever synthesizer to a couple of tracks and a little piano to others. It gave the band a lot more credibility as they, like Hoodlum Shouts showed plenty of versatility and charisma in their performance.

As everyone gathered around the bar, grabbing a few more drinks before Super Best Friends began, the night picked up and the audience was ready for their catchy punk tunes.

The crowd eventually clumped together as Super Best Friends started the set with an awesome intro with a pounding beat only to burst out on stage into a happy, high energy punk rock performance.
Their catchy songs built the audience up and got their bodies rocking. Quirky actions on stage showed how much fun they were having, not only together but with the audience too, no matter how many people where there, they would have had plenty of fun.

The drummer must get a mention as he obviously had the love of the crowd. With high skill and plenty of personality, he was an essential part of the performance. With a splash of electronic jingle thrown in, the rock/punk sounds were elevated in each song.

All in all, what was assumed to be just another local gig, this night delivered a whole lot more. A array of versatility and although the crowd fell short, the bands were not affected in their performances. Building up from Hoodlum Shouts, an emotional and soothing, yet exciting first set, into a metal minded bash out from Death Mattel. To finish, Super Best friends bringing their new tunes and enthusiastic punk show to promote their new EP Ready Aim Fire! Matt, Adam and Johnny are what make up Super Best Friends, and what they put into their music shows in their tight performance.