A Black Sabbath cover during soundcheck and a name like Breaking the Law makes me expect some sort of Judas Priest tribute band however instead we get doused in distorted punk rock. The sound is loud, and overbearing yet beneath the surface there are hints of melodica with tracks like Lee Round leaning towards Blond Redhead or Sonic Youth. However singer/guitarist Justin Fuller’s vocals just don’t live up to this template, come off as overly subdued, and weak. While the use of distortion and fuzz is edging towards the overbearing side, too often drowning out the intriguing melodies.

The second act seems determined to convince us that dance music takes neither talent or interest as Das Butcher aka Marcus Griffin stumbles around stage drunkly adorned in a handle bar moustache and covered in fake blood. The actual music is surprisingly pleasant, considering, in a droning ambient way. However it’s the type of pre-programmed thing your more likely to hear in a dentist waiting room or a lift rather than a pub.

The final support comes from Zond who have much in common with Breaking the Law, including a guitarist. However where Breaking the Law show hints of artistry and musicality Zond do away with this completely in a white wash of noise and reverb. More than one patron sit with unimpressed expressions and fingers in ears as Zond’s brand of overkill assaults them in the face.

When Beaches take the stage it’s a relief to hear that the night hasn’t been a total bust as the girls quickly whip into the patent surfy instrumentals with Two Days Passed By and Hoedown. Merging through a pulsing set of psych induced garage and surf tunes, Beaches show exactly how feedback should be used; in cooperation with the rest of the music instead of simply obliterating it.

The key points to the tunes are the jangly lead guitar of Antonia Sellbach and the rilling bass lines of Gillian Tucker which are fleshed out by the backdrops of drums and rhythm guitar. This is particularly evident on the beauteous Sandy, in fact the best tracks were those in which Sellbach adds her vocals to the front of this mix even when they are as minimal as repeating the name of the song. It adds a certain focus for the audience that during the instrumental sections, of which there are a lot, seem to lack.

Tracks like Ramblin might sound great but the audience doesn’t know where to look when the singer is drifting towards the back of the stage. The highlight of the set then is Freeway on which Sellbach takes the song as her own, throwing in some much need visual energy as she sings like a young Kim Gordon of Sonic youth, “I’m on the Highway, I’m on the Freeway, I’m on the Highway, Freeway.” Possibly the best new driving song around. Closing with The Rip, which is driven by a solid bass line from Tucker, Beaches hold out hope for female rock that isn’t simply acceptable but adds something new to the mix.

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