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It began with an empty bar and ended with Hell City Glamours being carried off on a sea of hands. With Oscar McBlack on vocals and guitar, Mo Mayhem on guitar, Robbie Potts on drums and Jonny Barwick on bass and vocals, Hell city glamours hasbrought back the ghost of the studded leather past of Australian rock.

Hell City chose some good company, with Gay Paris and Screwtop Detonators in the lineup. Unfortunately there was no audience to speak of until midway through the Screwtop set.

This was a shame dear reader, as the growling, dirty wall of sound that is Gay Paris was not to be missed. They look like the Eels did in their Souljacker days, sporting years of dedicated beard growth between them. Lead Singer Wailin’ H Monks brought the gritty guitar sound of Ol’ Blacktooth Marks and the chunky baseline of Fraidy Cat Podmore together with a growling tirade of lyrics. The tight beats from Smokin D Wain’s drums and regular vocal support from the band rounded off the makings of an incredible sound. The icing on the cake was Monk’s famous hot pink “Pyrate Queen” belt buckle. He informed me on the night that he’s “not actually into drag pirates”.

Anyone who has ever seen an act at Transit knows, nothing ever starts on time. True to Transit form, Screwtop Detonator began their set two hours late, as the bar finally began to fill. Somewhere between Punk and good old Rock’n’roll lies the sounds of Screwtop Detonators. Guitarist Leroy Slikk and Benny Barbarino along with bassist Mitch Mayhem sung lyrics that where surprisingly deep and meaningful. They accompanied with fantastic combinations of grungy rock chords and punk melodies. The beating heart of this band is the drum work of Dan Morrison, he’s heavy on the floor tom and bass, it’s a great sound. The crowd was feeling it too, as new arrivals began to migrate towards the front in Screwtop’s final two songs.

As Hell City Glamours began plugging in and tuning up, the crowd at the front doubled, vying for pole position in the pit. Scarves and skinny jeans were traded for leather and long hair and soon the wait began. It wasn’t long before Jonny was making introductions and the band got stuck into The Money. After only hearing the first four bars of their first song, it was easy to see why these guys had been invited to the industry leading SXSW festival in Texas earlier this year. There’s no way they’re doing it for the money. You can feel the energy when they play, it’s thick in the air and the crowd laps it up. But that’s just part of the cocktail, their skill matches their enthusiasm. They seemed to embellish their sound when compared to the recordings on their numerous EP’s and recently recorded self-titled album.

To the Hell City Glamours this was just another jam session in which to explore their music and entertain their loyal fans. As Oscar Mc Black Leaped into the crowd I could see why the band has such a steadily growing following. They have successfully brought the spirit of oldschool aussie rock and roll back, and the crowd loves it.

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