Rainy, winter nights are terrible for numerous reasons. One, I always end up standing next to a puddle as a bus or truck goes pass and two, I completely lose my sense of direction, which, at the best of times, is pretty terrible. So after numerous wrong turns I arrived at the Tivoli, resembling a drowned rat, and missing The Sundance Kids, who I had been looking forward to seeing all week. Having seen them previously, all I can say is that these Adelaide lads are pretty amazing to see live, they’ll be back in a few months with Hoobatsank and All American Rejects, so make sure you check them out then.

Thankfully the disappointment of missing the Sundance Kids soon evaporated, with Perth boys, End of Fashion hitting the stage with the latest offerings from recent release Book of Lies including Biscuit, Fussy and The Game. The real crowd pleasers of the night however, were the old hits, with the crowd singing and bopping (there really is no other word for it) along to O Yeah, She’s Love and Lock Up Your Daughters. Charismatic front man Justin, managed to keep the crowd enthralled throughout the set, with his impressive vocals which sound as good, if not better than the recordings. To finish off their set, the boys played a small tribute to Michael Jackson with a cover of Beat It, which despite a few messy sections, got the crowd singing and moon walking, remembering one of the most influential musicians of recent times.

Part time New Zealanders and part time Aussies, Evermore, have gained a lot of air time of late with hits off their latest album Truth of the World including Hey Boys and Girls, and after seeing the entire album performed from top to tail, is it little wonder why. Evermore have turned into rock stars. Complete with amazing special effects, an impressive lighting show, the rock star swagger and singer and guitarist, Jon Hume ’s sequin jacket and oh so cool top hat.

But unlike many bands who have the look down, Evermore have the talent to back it up. The Hume brothers manage to captivate the audience from the very first strum of the guitar, swapping between instruments effortlessly and trading front man duties depending on the song. The new songs boast a very political message, but thankfully in a slightly cynical and amusing fashion, without shoving the message down your throat as seems to be the fashion these days. Tackling the American way of life, mass consumerism and other topical issues, the band delivers them in a well rehearsed, entertaining fashion that mesmerizes you from the start.

Despite the new depth and musical ability reached with the latest album, it is still Evermore’s golden oldies that excite the crowd the most. The audience was never more alive than during the encore when the boys played old favourites Light Surrounding You, Its Too Late, and especially Running. The crowd went wild at the opening bars of Light Surrounding You, and it’s a shame that these gems were kept for the encore as they would have added some much needed familiarity to the set. Like End of Fashion, Evermore also played a tribute to Michael Jackson with an impressive rendition of Billie Jean, all that was missing was an attempt at the moonwalk on stage.

The professional, yet entertaining and enthusiastic energy of Evermore is a catchy thing, and combined with the raw talent of End of Fashion, the amazing light shows that the Tivoli never fails to provide, tonight’s performance was a great display of Aussie and New Zealand talent, leaving on eager to see what these boys come up with next.