The Fly by Night Musician’s Club is a West Australian musical institution. So, what better place for Australian alternative rock originals You Am I to kick off their “small venue” gig run? With two nights back to back, Tim Rogers and Co promised a whole new set each night. The Friday night show all but filled the room, and went a little something like this…

Baby-faced and foul-haired local rockers The Novocaines certainly put in a good effort as support act numero uno. Guitarist Jay Marriot cranked the wa-wa pedal, while vocalist Corey Marriot belted his pretty young heart out sounding just like Eddie Vedder – however, unfortunately he was also parading around like a Robert Plant wannabe. No-one can say that these young boys don’t get points for enthusiasm; their animalistic performance of songs like Cup of Coffee definitely gives the band a certain stage presence and will definitely contribute to an ever-growing following.

Speaking of stage presence, The Kill Devil Hills’ own Alex Archer has made the good ol’ Aussie Akubra a bit of a trademark; they wouldn’t be the Kill Devil Hills without it! The major support act created the heavy sense of drama that can only be achieved by their violin and relentless drum combination, before ripping into Did I Damage You? The eclectic bunch are big fans of shared singing duties, a standout being drummer Steve Gibson’s turn on the mic – his gravely voice suits old favourite Drinkin’ Too Much perfectly. The Fremantle Devils are absolutely on fire when playing with drums, rhythm and lead guitar, bass and violin/harmonica/organ/clarinet, but when that fifth variable becomes another guitar the sound gets a little cluttered.

The tiny 15 minute wait for the headlining act was a tense one for all the original fans; even a sound check from their heroes got some punters clapping along. Ever the irreverent lead, Rogers commanded the stage from the get-go. You Am I opened with a cover of Regurgitator’s I’ve Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am and the cheeky statement “we may not have written it, but we’ve lived it!”

The boys showed their straps as one of the legends of Australian music, Rogers’ vocals ringing clear and reminiscent of an angry generation. The clarity is something that comes with the incredible experience that the band has behind them. Not leaving his frontman alone as entertainer, Davey Lane showed his charisma on guitar, wielding his axe with true rockstar appeal. Unfortunately, all this on stage action creates a stark comparison with bassist Andy Kent – in short, no one seems to really give a toss about what he is doing. The most interesting part about his performance was Rogers’ introduction of the bassist as someone who “has a choice of 400 eligible prostitutes.”

It was disappointing to see the bold champions of alternative rock looking a little lost on Forever and Easy which wasn’t helped by a shockingly out of time rendition of Tina and Ike’s River Deep, Mountain High. But perhaps Rusty Hopkinson’s counting on drums was being hindered by the constant shower of cigarette butts were being flicked onto the stage. Some nasty little sucker also ditched a glass at Rogers, but, after being met with a few aggressive profanities, was thrown out to the sound of thunderous applause.

Friday night rockers and rollers were treated to a bag full of covers and respective dedications – the aforementioned songs, as well as Magic Dirt’s Ice dedicated to Rogers’ little sister and Indian Giver by the Ramones for “Ben”. Rogers’ dad, who was in attendance, was also honoured with a dedication, as were Tame Impala.

As for You Am I originals, Junk was a hands down crowd favourite as well as Sound As Ever with Lane turning his nimble fingers to the keyboard.

But, what did you really miss if you weren’t there? The Tim Rogers Freestyle Extravaganza. With some simple band backing, Rogers flew solo and busted out two improvised songs; one about the knob who threw a glass at him, the other a loving ode to the Fly By Night. As a last thought and poignant ending before You Am I head east, they left Perth music lovers with a warning “Value this moment! Because next year, we’re going to be fucking unapproachable!”