Big Day Out notwithstanding, a large crowd turned up at the Rosemount Hotel as Harlequin League came out of their album writing hideaway to headline the Big Night Before. Every band on the bill was from Perth, and many local musicians turned up, including the members of Eskimo Joe.

Tree, aka Kathryn Rollins, attracted a large group of fans inside, and while her melodic roots music might have seemed out of place amongst the rock groups, the crowd was appreciative. Rollins showcased her talents by moving between playing guitar and piano. Her clear soprano melodies served her songs nicely, with lyrics ranging from the melancholy to the upbeat song Barefoot Drunk.

Next up were the Perth winners of Triple J’s Big Day Out Unearthed, Emperors. The rock 5 piece failed to gather as a crowd as large as Tree had, but not for lack of trying. Vocalist Adam James was the most energetic, although guitarists Vaughan Davies and Greg Sanders also moved around constantly. There were a few technical issues, but they were quickly dealt with. Most of Emperors’ songs were upbeat, with a steady loud drum beat, and even their slowest song View From the Sun had a classic rock sound to it. The entire performance had a positive intensity. Or, as an audience member yelled out, was “bad-ass!”

One word to sum up the stage presence of Will Stoker and The Embers is confidence. It’s the confidence that comes from being really good at something you obviously love. Having your name at the beginning of the band name might seem like an arrogant move, but Will Stoker has certainly earned it. They quickly attracted a large crowd with opening number 5 Beds For Bitsy. The stage seemed too small for Stoker, as he jumped, kicked and danced like a cartoon super villain.

Even technical difficulties didn’t slow him down for long. For the song Waves, Timothy Nelson joined the band onstage with a tambourine and a cast on his arm (the result of swinging on a chandelier at Hyde Park Hotel). Libertines fan, Stoker then treated the audience to an impression of the opening lyrics to The Man Who Would Be King before launching into his band’s song King. He jumped into the audience several times to show off his dancing skills when he wasn’t playing the clarinet or keyboard. Although Stoker seemed to be the main focus, The Embers enthusiastically produced a catchy and likeable sound.

The biggest crowd of the night gathered to watch The Chemist . Starting with the upbeat Heaven’s Got a Dress Code and with the addition of maracas, smoothly leading into slower songs such as Run, The Chemist made it all seem effortless.

Keyboardist James Ireland also played accordion impressively while lead singer Benjamin Witt and bassist Hamish Rahn made use of the stage room, moving about energetically, whilst not seeming to go out of their comfort zones. The sweet melody and easy beats of One Thing On Your Mind left the audience cheering like it was the last song of the set. Except that it wasn’t. The band went silent for about half a minute, Witt looked at his watch, then played an extra thirty seconds or so, which seemed to entertain the audience. Drummer Elliott Smith left the stage, before his bandmates played a melancholy song with a chorus to the tune of We Wish You A Merry Christmas, which a large section of the audience proceeded to sing. Smith rejoined the band for the final song, after which Witt stayed on stage as the rest of the band members left, wowing the audience with impressive echoes from his vocals and a loop pedal.

After The Chemist performed, several people left for the night, presumably to rest up before the Big Day Out. However, there was still a large crowd remaining, most of whom came inside to watch Harlequin League. They started their set by giving one hundred percent with crowd favourite All Your Wars Are Won and maintained the intensity throughout the set, despite yet more technical difficulties. New drummer Chris James (Streetlight) fitted in well with the band. The audience seemed to enjoy having him there, yelling out “Take your shirt off, Chris!” which he did.

Percussionist Benjamin Pooley tirelessly went between the pedals, keyboard, microphone and synthesiser to produce different unique sounds, and at one point, came down into the audience to play guitar. Lead singer James Rogers and guitarist Sebastian Astone constantly moved around in the space between the microphones and the drum kit, only staying still to show off their vocal talents. A few people were already dancing energetically but when Living the Lie was played, many more people joined and it was obvious that both the crowd and the band were enjoying themselves.

At the end of the final song Again and Again, Astone jumped on the drums for the first time during the set and broke the drumsticks, Rogers vigorously played guitar close to the microphone and Pooley gently threw his guitar as they exited rock star style to a round of applause and cheers.