“Amps” is just one of those places that will always split Perth punters 50/50 – you either love it or you hate it. It took scenesters a little while to warm up on Saturday night for Philadelphia Grand Jury’s Hope is for Hopers gig, but that was to be expected – partying too hard, too early is scenester sin.

Tour support The Novocaines launched into the set with gusto and rocket speed. Ragdoll Blues was a highlight and welcome change of pace in amongst the typical Novocaines fast and furious performance style.

The ever-energetic bunch showered the crowd with musical treats; such as a Novocainesque rendition of I’m Waiting for my Man, a few new songs – typically punchy garage/grunge/punk stylings, and even a bit of inoffensive (but hardly innovative) harmonica on Like A Sunday Morning.

Unfortunately, we do have to take points off for the, often incoherent, babble between songs – something about the country? About new drum stools? Who knows…It was irrelevant, rambling, and a little bit annoying. That, and the fact that the intro to Cup of Coffee was a bit of a hot mess – disappointing, considering that it should be their tightest song. But, at the end of the day, you cannot fault the sheer energy that the four pour into every set.

As for the band in question, the affectionately nicknamed “Philly Jays”, it was a mix of the good, the bad and the shocking – in that order.

The Good: MC Bad Genius has the clearest, cleanest and most crisp live vocals this side of heaven. Unlike most bands, who tout live vocals plagued by bad levels and too much shouting, you can actually understand what he is singing. His clarity is simply awe-inspiring; The Good News was played out so perfectly that I had the fleeting thought that I might have been listening to their record, Britney-style. That’s a compliment.

The crowd ate up every second of the insane, and insanely catchy, I’m Going to Kill You and the rollicking performance of Ready to Roll. These singalong hits are turning the Philly Jays into anti-fashion indie icons – both wearing too much plaid and with Berkfinger’s big ol’ beard, they seem to have inspired some interesting dress sense. On my left, a girl wearing socks and sandals and, on my right, another wearing two-toned denim jeans.

The Bad: At a live gig, pre-recorded anything is a bad idea. This includes, but is not limited to, using a manic and inane recording for the between-song-banter. While MCBG and Berkfinger seem to be happy enough chaps who were certainly enjoying themselves, a recording of MCBG screeching “we love you, we want to marry you” – while the man himself smiles dumbly at his feet – just reeks of insincerity.

Not only that, but the pitchy and slightly possessed-sounding intro of Wet Winter Holiday did not sit well with the beautiful and incredibly tight rendition of the song. In fact, being so loud and altogether too quirky, the voice track did detract from the performance as a whole and stood out like a sore, throbbing thumb.

The Ugly: During the runaway hit Going to the Casino (Tomorrow Night) you could have expected just a little more energy – it is, after all, the commercial hero of Hope is for Hopers. But it seems they were saving everything for the unexpected, messy, energy explosion that was I Don’t Want to Party (Party). There was a little switcheroo, which saw MCBG on bass and Berkfinger on guitar, but that wasn’t the problem…

The duo looked like they had lost the plot, racing around the stage, panting, sweating and accosting a hapless security guard whilst shoving a microphone in his face. MCBG, with bass slung around his shoulders, then proceeded to hammer the keyboard like a child while Berkfinger tried to pull the bass off him – MCBG, of course, not cooperating in the least. Screaming “I don’t want to party!” his voice fell on deaf ears as he was not even at or around the mic.

In what was surely supposed to be their big “showstopper”, Berkfinger dissembled the drum kit whilst drummer Calvin was smashing out the longest and most unnecessary drum solo of all time. Piece by piece, the big Berkfinger set up the drums in the midst of the crowd for Calvin to continue his solo on and on and on…

Eventually, the whole debacle stopped. It was really quite a shame. Up until then, the Philly Jays had delivered a truly top-notch indie performance, which had everyone in the place singing along and busting a move. What transpired at the closure of their set can only be described as “noise vomit” which appealed only to the incredibly drunk and the ultimate die-hards. Talk about wrapping up with a bang – you will enjoy them more on CD.