CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

For a singer with a vocal style as arresting as Karl Scullin’s, Kes Band II was a curious release. A record of instrumentals, it did away with one of the group’s greatest assets for an emphasis on texture and dynamics. Would the launch follow suit in eschewing vocals? A Kes Band show is hard to predict, with constantly evolving line-ups, song reworkings and new material consistently impressing fans throughout their live career.

Opening the bill was the debut solo performance from Ela Stiles of Songs. Backed by the night’s headliners, she armed herself with a twelve-string guitar and led the group through a short set of sparse folk numbers, taking influence from the more meditative indie groups such as Low. At times it was impressive, and the songs certainly benefited from her collaborators (particularly Julian Patterson’s drumming). Sometimes, though, they felt a little under-developed and could’ve benefitted from either stronger vocals or instrumentals.

With a relatively minimal, indie take on – œ50s girl groups, The Icypoles were a charming prospect. Fronted by Architecture in Helsinki alumni Isobel and Tara, they sung cutesy pop numbers about boys and dates. At times the songs could’ve done with more elaborate arrangements, and one often got the feeling that the ideas at work had more potential than their execution. They were generally a lot of fun, though, with a particularly strong run of songs closing their set.

For the past year, Songs’ ubiquity in Sydney has been matched only by their consistent onstage prowess. Seemingly the de-facto support of choice for Melbourne’s touring bands, their ability to match Flying Nun-style pop with well-balanced noise and dissonance has made them a highlight of Sydney’s current music scene. It’s easy to see why – today they played a loud but tight set of songs from their recent debut LP (and a new song), with the long, jammy Just An Idea proving to be the highlight.

With their ever-changing line-up taking the stage as a trio, Kes Band launched into a loud, unreleased instrumental, setting off a set that contained almost no released material at all. Playing what one could assume (and hope) to be material from the next record, they showed a continued progression of the band’s unique sound.

Like their previous material, they often mixed freak-folk influences with loud, chiming guitars and Karl’s distinct, high-pitched voice. Particularly notable tonight was just how closely they functioned as a unit – previous touring incarnations have generally had a loose, jammy appeal, but tonight the group were a tight, lean machine.

The majority of the set was vocal-driven, with each of Karl’s bandmates singing a song each. One brief, familiar moment came when Karl almost apologetically introduced a tune from Kes Band II, but after a brief rendition, they closed with another thunderous new number. Another surprising, delightful set from one of Melbourne’s finest outfits.