When I arrived at Inflation just after 9.30pm, the party in the band room was well and truly underway. Howl are a six-piece garage/punk outfit from Ballarat (their guitarist is also in local band Neon Love), and are still in high school. The band name suited the lead vocals to a tee, with lyrics being ‘howled’ at the growing crowd. They have incredible energy, and are raucous and totally danceable. The set was broken up a bit by the boys breaking into a seemingly out-of-the-blue rendition of Senorita by Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake. They are definitely a band to watch for.

In the 20 minute break between bands, the room filled up rather quickly. Turns out former Getaway Plan vocalist/guitarist Matthew Wright’s new band, with Kitty Hart, Young Heretics were playing next. Considering GP’s massive following, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. They opened the set with a wall of sound, and Kitty’s vocals were haunting and beautiful, but the songs seemed a bit slow for a place like Inflation, and the crowd got a tad restless. Still, the room remained full. A megaphone was used at one point, which I really liked. (It’s the hip thing to do right now, apparently.)

Young Heretics finished up, and the crowd dwindled to half-capacity while former Perth band (now in Sydney) The Dirty Secrets set up. This band have been hard at work on a new EP to follow their self-titled debut album, while currently touring with The Galvatrons. As a long-time fan, I was surprised when I only knew two of the songs in the set (hits Lighthouse and Five Feet of Snow that are regularly played on JJJ) , but pleased with everything else I heard. And as always, the show was high-energy, and keeping still wasn’t an option for those still in the room. I recommend that anyone who hasn’t seen them live should do so as soon as possible.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE