Following their successful national tour with Little Birdy, Red Riders hit the east coast of Australia with their Drown In Colour national tour. Achieving credibility as a recording and live act, Red Riders critically acclaimed work and sound saw a packed Northcote Social Club gather to hear their set.

On an incredibly wet and windy Saturday night which saw some of the worst weather Melbourne had to offer, Brisbane band Last Dinosaurs proved to those who had braved the cold why they deserved a spot on the tour. Signed to Dew Process in early 2009, these boys demonstrate a sound, which is not too distant from that of Red Riders as well as Phoenix, Vampire Weekend and a little of the Mystery Jets. Alps, As Far As You’re Concerned, Honolulu and Hawaii demonstrated their ability to grab the attention of the audience with their instantly appealing sound and manner. This band is undoubtedly one to watch as their catchy indie sound gathers support and experience heading into a future release from the boys.

Fellow Brisbane boys The Boat People were next, playing in support of their new single Echo Stick Guitars. Front men Robin Waters and James O’Brien compliment each other perfectly and also act as comedic relief between songs. With a set list which included past triple j hits Unsettle My Heart and more popular track, Clean, they did have some punters singing along, some of those which instantly recognised these songs. New single Echoes Stick Guitars is both catchy and uniquely Boat People. Other tracks included Antidote, Under The Ocean and Awkward Orchid Orchard, which kept the crowd entertained and enjoying themselves with their catchy fun tunes. With an impending third album release due for some time in 2010, the Melbourne music scene and radio stations are sure to hear more from this band

Red Riders blasted into their set, kicking off with well-known track Slide In Next To Me off their successful debut album, Replica Replica. Despite a few band member changes on their journey, including the departure of original member Adrian Deutsch and the welcoming of Brad Heald guitarist of The Vines, the band still maintain a wholesome and tight sound which gives you no hint of these alterations.

In what would prove to be a balanced set list of material from both their debut album and recently released album, Drown In Colour, Red Riders took the punters through a varied mix of tracks and emotions as explained by front man, Alex Grigg. Throughout the show, Grigg took the time to succinctly sum up the meaning behind most of the songs, maintaining the attention of the audience, particularly those who were hanging off his every word.

Tracks Tomorrow/Today and You’ve Got A Lot Of Nerve had the majority of the audience singing along to every word. The success of their 2009 release was clear in the new legions of fans, which had gathered to hear their favourite songs off the new album, but the maintenance and continuation of the support from the old fans is testament to the staying power of the band as well as the music itself.

A highlight of the set was A.S.P.I.R.I.N, which Grigg introduced by a dedication to those who – œcan spell’, also assuring that those who didn’t know how, would catch on rather quickly. So Long and The Siren Sings with Robin of The Boat People on keyboards, for were offerings of newer material before the Riders launched into another crowd favourite, C’mon, which had the audience shouting out the chorus and the incredibly catchy – œsha la la la’ line which couldn’t help but bring a smile to Grigg’s face.

Encouragement from the band to dance whenever we felt like it was a direction well fitted to the incredibly catchy Never Gonna Be Enough. Leading into a more mellow Feels Like Grace, Grigg alerted that this song would definitely not be_In My Sleep_, which it wasn’t, and left many audience members slightly confused but laughing through what must have been a personal joke between the front man and bassist, Matt Chapman.

Drummer Tom Wallace was in many ways the driving force behind the set, lending a unique energy behind tracks Scream and All Mine as well as other songs throughout the set. Crowd favourite and the definite highlight of the set was the single Ordinary, which had the whole crowd singing along and dancing as instructed. This track is such a great demonstration of the capabilities of the band and an indication of what’s to come. Despite the somewhat noticeable emission of Call On Me from the set list, The Beginning Of The End Of The Night and My Love Is Stronger Than Your Love closed off a fantastic set before the boys were once again lured out to play an encore of – œthe only other song they knew how to play live’, Over Again.

In a set, which showed the crowd the diversity and energy of Red Riders as a band, entertained from the very beginning right through to the end of the set. Red Riders are a band that will consistently offer up releases, which will gain deserved success and support time and time again.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE