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Oh Ye Denver Birds are starting things this evening and they’ve already captured my attention before they’ve begun; with a name taken from one of my favourite novels in Kerouac’s On The Road, I’m equally as happy with their taste in literature as I am ready to pounce should the great man not be done justice. Their sound is slightly unexpected, the six-piece offering a range of delicate folk tunes with an ambience similar to Sigur Ros attributed to more than just front man Dom – œs similarities in pitch (and capability) to Jónsi Birgisson. It’s a pleasant surprise and my claws remain firmly in, the more driven and faster-paced numbers the most enticing and complemented by the lone dancing of a Sideshow Bob look-alike in the corner, to whom I must say: Sir, teach me some moves. You are amazing.

Adelaide lads Leeder Cheetah are next and by now the Troubadour is considerably packed and we’re all reminded of how damn hot it gets up there in the summer – an appropriate element because all I can think about is how Australian this band are. Okay, so singer Dan Crannitch looks like Tim Rogers from the back of the room and as my companion comments he sounds a little like Peter Garrett. But it’s not all skin deep – their music is very formulaic, with a selection of almost pub-rock numbers separated with the obligatory ballad reminiscent of so many bands before them. This is not necessarily a bad thing – undoubtedly they are very tight, Crannitch hits his notes, and songs like Bloodlines are well written and enjoyable. Tonight their performance was no short of plain good, but the thought remains: do we really need another Powderfinger?

And so Cloud Control arrive on stage to whet our appetites for the music of their eagerly anticipated debut LP, due early next year. Building on an already established sound of pop and folk inspired songs, new material such as My Fear and Old Man show promise, still driven by Talking Heads-esque bass lines, but featuring more guitar solos and new harmonies akin to those of the Fleet Floxes. Most exciting is the Wright-Lenffer-Kelshaw vocal combination in recent single Gold Canary, the cries – œwoooooooo-AYY’ screaming for crowd participation received by a delighted mob who are more than happy to oblige. Continuing with new material, lead vocalist Alistair Wright does not miss a single note, while members of Leeder Cheetah join to add two drummers for the heroic Ghost Town – a journey in itself, which is received with loud cheers.

Standing from a chair on the side of the room and observing the punters, it is evident there is a real communal feeling in here tonight. It’s the end of the tour for these bands, the end of the year, and the collection of friends, supports, local Brisbane bands and random music lovers in attendance all have the same giddy grin plastered to their face. The music of this band is simply uplifting, and even slower numbers like Into The Line attract movement from the crowd. The popular Vintage Books and Buffalo Country are welcomed with screams of delight, and it’s at this point I’m hauled from my perch, thrown over the shoulder of a random punter and swung around as he insists, – œYou’ve gotta dance to this shit!’ And he’s right. As the band launch into their final song, Deathcloud, there’s not a still body in sight. I’m guessing it’s a fitting end to the tour, or at least a fitting end to the evening. Album please.