The Zebras opened the night at Ric’s on Thursday night, a real treat to faithful followers of Brisbane music. Except that The Zebras reminded us what we’ve missed out on since they abandoned the city for greener pastures (aka Melbourne). With their collection of fun and beachy songs, the boys managed to put together a decent set, despite seeming to be short of members. It is probably fair to chalk up their repeated false starts and forgetfulness during songs to this. Lead singer Jeremy Cole is endearingly shy, but with a honey voice like his, it makes for a fine combination. There’s something nostalgic in The Zebras, making this Gen Y kid experience a glimpse into the decades of yesteryear.

Norwegian-British Je Suis Animal’s old school/new-wave/pop/rock/etc didn’t quite rapture the crowd, which was strange given their kookiness and generally well-played songs, mostly from their new album, Self Taught Magic From a Book. The mellow yet boppy Secret Place was followed by Indifferent Boy, and demonstrated their angular choice of song order. Unfortunately the listeners were for the most part robbed of Elin Grimstad’s heady vocals, which were drowned out by the instruments. She couldn’t hear herself either and efforts to fix this were futile, but the glimpses into her voice were rewarding, especially in Hotel Electrique, their second last song. With a heavy drum beat and hints of electronica, this is a band that really needs to be listened to live, because while the songs are catchy and sweet, the band’s charisma ( Elin and Merete Hald are adorable) carries them a long way. They seemed under-appreciated but have made some strategic friendships with Australian labels and bands, which will hopefully see them returning to us soon.