I’m not going to say much about the first band, Last Dinosaurs, as the audience didn’t give them much time either. Appearing to be fourteen year olds from a high school band, the Brisbane group have a sound distinctly like, in the words of a nearby punter – œa shit version of Vampire Weekend or the Strokes’. Drummer Danjuro Rens Koyama is enthusiastic but appears confused as to whether he is right or left handed while the bass player Sam David Gethin-Jones just seems awkward, looking like a kid at his first guitar lesson. Even so the music itself would be passable in its mediocrity if not for Sean Ryusuke Caskey’s vocals which are always flat and often off key. Why Lost Valentinos would choose to tour with such an underwhelming band when there are so many decent young bands out there is beyond me.

It has been quiet a long time since I’ve been to the Roxanne and the new LED lighting backdrop adds markedly to the overall atmosphere of the acts, especially second band Ghostwood. The trippy lights give a hazy blue hue to the band members as they push forth a mix of mellow and upbeat shoegaze and Britpop inspired tunes.

The thing most people will have noticed from the outset is just how much older drummer James West is than the rest of the band. As soon as he opens up on the kit in the first song though you begin to realise just how much presence and drive he adds. He lays danceable groove patterns on what would have otherwise been mellow songs, plays with maracas, rim shots and altered timing throughout the gig. A willingness to step outside of the box in drummers is always good to see and James West is adept at doing so.

Apart from one track none of the material is pulled from Ghostwoods debut EP and already you can see a development in Gabby Navidzadeh’s song writing with the progression from youthful innocence to well thought out lyricism well underway.The influences of bands like Ride, The Stone Roses and Jesus and Mary Chain are obvious but not overwhelming.

Ghostwood manage to build from their various sources into something that holds resemblances to, but is becoming its own entity. While Paddy Harrowsmith’s dreamlike emotive guitar licks remind you of Slowdive, Gabby’s vocals are closer to Bobby Gillespie in their immediacy and rawness if not sound. The only real criticism I have of the band is their insistence on filling the room with feedback between songs so that there is essentially no gaps. This leaves the audience disconnected, unable to clap or show appreciation. It is a trademark of their forebears that they would do well to leave behind.

The closing track, Rest My Soul, is a highlight with the steady drum machine overlaid with West’s pounding and Gabby’s vocals rising to melodic screams. Midway through, the drum machine increases pace and West loses the beat, the drum machine is cut and suddenly the song reaches a new high as they jump back in. Going through a minimalist jam towards the end with Gabby playing bongos on the ground ala Ian Brown in the Stone Roses heyday. The melody is continued finally building to a crescendo as they finish the set walking from the stage without a word. Already an extremely good band it is clear Ghostwood will only continue to improve.

Having the headliner start at midnight is always a pain in the arse and tonight is no exception. I can’t help feeling that had they started earlier the room may have been just that little bit fuller for Lost Valentinos. Nevertheless with next to no expectations I am pleasantly surprised by the band. The first three or four songs remind of the Happy Mondays and a time when Dance music involved actual instruments. Singer Nik Yiannikas vocals, at their best, remind of Perry Farrell in Porno for Pyros or Satellite Party rather than Janes Addiction. He has the same exuberant nature too, often jumping atop the bass drum or wrapping himself in a microphone cord. Mix this with a certain Latin flavour and you begin to see the good side of the band.

However on the flip side of this comes the more self indulgent numbers, resembling cheap Cut Copy or Klaxons knockoffs. For example Serio, in which bad falsetto and misplaced Korg keyboard dominate. However the much more groove laden Midnight/In the City of Gold is what I was impressed by. It is a shame then that all the more lofi tracks are packed to the front of the set list leaving me feeling slightly ambivalent towards the band. Don’t get me wrong there is a sizeable crowd who all seem happy dancing along, so there are obviously listeners for this sort of thing, but the majority of the material just isn’t up to the same standard as the opening for me. The multi instrumentalist of the band Jono Ma, who plays guitar, keyboard and percussion should maybe leave the keys behind in the future.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE