Kicking off the night at the Newtown Workers Club was support act Tic Toc Tokyo. With caveman-like demeanour and uncompromising zeal, band members Simon Gibbs, Nicolaas Oogles, Martin Umanski and Adrian Vecino make up this impressive group.

Despite starting early in the nightIt was clear that the band had a following of their own, as they had brought in a good crowd. Tic Toc Tokyo by no means play songs you can hum to. Instead, their music is typified by the kind that crawls under your skin and pulsates with a heat reminiscent of when jungle fever meets psychedelia. Their engaging experimental, climatic, drums-blazing sound has the propensity to coax one into a mesmeric trance and even a peculiar, dizzy tribal dance.

As one of the most passionate performances I’ve come across in a while, Tic Toc Tokyo are not a band to fill their interludes with monkey business or cheap laughs. Without trying to sound too wanky, they let their music speak for itself. Unlike so many bands, their performance is effortlessly captivating and refreshing, without any appeal to showboating. With Oogles bashing away at the drums, Gibbs’ animalistic vocals, and sporadic injections of eerie distortions, their atmospheric music fills up the room and is nothing short of all consuming and intense.

Albeit they were a strange choice as a warm-up act for the bluesy, pop-rock style of Spiral Stairs, but they nonetheless hit the spot with getting the crowd going.

By the time headliners, Spiral Stairs got on stage the venue was packed. More famously known for his work with Pavement, frontman Scott Kannberg is your typical charming nice-guy. Despite standing on the left-hand side of the stage, his endearing, easy-going vibe managed to overshadow the other five members in his band.

With his debut album, The Reel Feel dropping later this month, the crowd was treated to some songs from it, although a few yells indicated that they’d rather listen to some of his older stuff. And whenever he did play his older tunes, the crowd sang along with him like loyal fans.

At times folky, at others, blues-influenced, Spiral Stairs’ catchy and melodious sound wraps its arms around you and makes you sway with feel-good sensations – it’s like road trip music that sometimes beckons nostalgia but mostly makes you rock out.

Of all the memorable songs played during his set, Subiaco Shuffle, a “blues-ronk” tune as he called it, was a favourite. Another that comes to mind was the newly pressed track, Caught in the Rain, a love song with a repetitive chorus as hearty as a home-cooked meal. It was clear that the crowd couldn’t get enough. Despite playing for over an hour, they wanted more from the band, and Kannberg gladly obliged with an encore.

Overall, the juxtaposition of Tic Toc Tokyo’s progressive, improvised tunes and Spiral Stairs’ wholesome, laid-back sound made for an outstanding night of seasoned performers.