From the moment they started playing, Red Ink’s lead singer was jumping around as if on an invisible pogo stick, ensuring their set was high in energy and enthusiasm. First song Antidote set the tone for a high voltage set that had the crowd moving. The lead singer was asking the crowd to dance with him and he was setting a hell of an example up on stage, using the whole space to jump, spin and generally use his body to rock out.

Kleptomaniac was a crowd favourite, moving between a guitar riff that forced your feet to stomp out the beat and a chorus that was like a cool drink of water when you needed it. The lead singer was swigging not from the obligatory bottle of beer, but a bottle of water. This was a smart move as his dedication to dance up a storm on stage meant he was sure to be in need of some serious thirst quenching. He joked that he chipped his tooth as a result of this exertion and could feel bits of it floating around in his mouth, an anecdote that was received with amused appreciation from the audience.

Next the claws were out for Werewolf. Cold Outside was dedicated to the ladies in the room, but not any particular one according to the lead singer. This song was the only one for which he stayed relatively still and he invited the men in the room to take advantage of the loving mood. A Young Lovers band member played as a guest in one song and joked that the microphone Red Ink’s lead singer had been using tasted delicious. The last two songs Going Insane and Audrey were delivered with just as much enthusiasm as the first song and when they thanked the crowd at the end I felt like someone should have thanked them back as it truly was an impressive performance both musically and physically.

Next up Young Lovers kicked off with In The City. It had a sneaky lead guitar riff to get you moving. There was some frustrated amplifier adjustment during the second song Big Tales and the guitarist looked a bit upset about it but picked things up again with The Boys. The male drummer played topless and I couldn’t help but wonder whether this was necessary but aside from these quirks they played a tight set. Their style was relaxed, smooth and mellow and they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

The highlight was Talking In French a track obviously well known to the audience and the one for which they mustered up the most energy. The lead guitar was the most impressive feature of their sound and his performance outshone the vocals. Although technically they played well and their sound was well groomed, I found my concentration waning due to a lack of ebb and flow in their songs and the set as a whole. At times they seemed to be playing more for themselves than the audience, but compared to the energy of Red Ink I’m sure most bands would seem a bit understated in their performance.

The Fearless Vampire Killers began with Alright Now Honey, a song that won the audience over with its smooth bluesy charm. The rest of the set had the audience dancing and although the crowd had thinned out as it was after midnight on a school night, the energy of those remaining filled the space nicely. Before their third song Country Rock, they teased the audience with a dramatic pause before providing the perfect tune for them to kick their heels up to, especially during the impressive drum solo. They thanked the audience for staying late to watch them and joked that they would have to catch taxis home now as it was too late for public transport, but I think it is safe to say they were worth the taxi fare.

Sinner and Evil Woman were delivered with gritty precision and when they played their guitars in towards each other, it was like they were ensuring they were playing tightly together for the benefit of the audience, not just indulging in showy guitar shenanigans. Ok, maybe they were indulging themselves a bit, but what band doesn’t and these guys were good so it was allowed.

For You and Me was introduced as a bit of a psychedelic song and they joked that if anyone was high on anything they were sure to gain particular enjoyment from it. Next up The Monkey Song was full of life. Lead singer Sean Ainsworth took a moment out at this stage to swig from a bottle of wine and then use it to slide up and down his guitar neck in a display of good ol’ reckless rock and roll confidence. The audience chanted for an encore after Deadline and they returned to the stage to play a cover of Shelly by The Greasers, a delightful rendition that left the girls in the crowd squealing with delight.

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