First out was Jack Action, a band driven on minimalism, good lyrics and great riffs. One would not be exaggerating if anticipating we have not seen the last of them, but an eager audience have to wait till October to see them again.

Second band out, Amber Down, who plays heavy melodic poprock, was a bit of a downer. Their singer should have his mouth washed with soap, he has not established enough street cred to cuss worse than the Prince of Darkness himself. When famous rockers do it – it’s cool, when you do it mate, you just seem like a poser.

Amber Down needs to go home and rehearse for another couple of months. Not because they are uncomfortable to listen to, not even that they sound poorly in any way, but because the only band member who seems relaxed and comfortable with what he is doing is the drummer, the rest seem like they have to concentrate very hard. This is not band recital, this is rock and roll, and you are supposed to like it, love it!

Then came Blackwater Station who has had a good last couple of months, with lots of gigs and a part in the WA Gold Compilation. They have an excellent hard rock/metal sound, which bounces off the walls and hits the audience with excitement. The only downside is the lead singers inability to experiment a little with his voice. They have excellent sound, excellent lyrics, but without any good highs and lows from the singer it all turns a little boring after a while. Still, their set was awesome and left the audience particularly pumped for the men of the (nearly midnight) hour – Homebrewe.

Having recently been picked up by Firestarter, Homebrewe will receive national distribution for their upcoming album My Own Nemesis. They won the Foundry band comp; they are in the NBC finals, on a second U.S. compilation and soon to be on early morning Rage! Surprisingly enough, they still have time to play gigs in between all this and lead singer Kohen Grogan’s university degree.

Last night was the launch of the first single from My Own Nemesis, titled Miss You. It is a dedication to Kohen and Casey’s childhood friend Emma Robson, who died suddenly.

Something has happened to Homebrewe. Since they began playing live, they were awesome in terms of sound, and the lead singer’s acrobatics were entertaining, but now it is like someone has injected all the Grogan bros. and drummer Rory Keys with some much needed confidence when it comes to on-stage behaviour.

They have taken what they had and made it even better, they’ve got the audience eating from their hands, and they make it look simple! Their opening track Never has become more aggressive, more emphasised, more underlined, and already through the first track, the band had an actual mosh pit going, which continued till the end of the set. They were a little louder, a little more eager, active and put on so much more of a show than they have in the past and it is no longer a one-man effort. They are all equally comfortable in their own skins, and it is a joy to watch.

In only a few months, the Albany boys have grown up, and they are not that cute any more. Trade cute for mindblowing, and you have the recipe for success right there!