Its hard to believe that British Sea Power have only just now made their live debut in Australia. With four acclaimed studio albums, another on the way, fans were finally granted the opportunity to see the lads from Brighton strut their stuff live.

As a handful of punters trickled into a sparse venue, Nick Huggins stood atop the alternate Corner platform. With an unusual variety of instruments before the few gathered, I was curious to hear just what Huggins professed in. That curiosity peaked mid-performance, and endured right up until now. It could probably best be classified as lo-fi, as Huggins often plucked an electric guitar sparingly and unaccompanied, whilst other songs utilized a Mac Book with a bewildering array of sound effects.

Put simply, the execution of Huggins’ craft is not very interesting to watch. Huggins strips everything back, playing with the barest instrumentation, and its a real challenge to get excited. His approach is limiting: there’s no stage presence, little charisma, and not much left to remember once its all said and done. Each break between songs came swiftly and suddenly, and everything began and ended without so much as a whimper.

This unfortunate tendency is brought about by the obvious similarities from one track to the next. There’s a real daydream-like quality about it all, but the question has to be asked: is this the kind of thing that a British Sea Power crowd would buy into? Furthermore, is this the kind of thing you go out on a Friday night to see? Music best heard through earphones, methinks, and not from a stage.

My first impression of local band Seagull was simply “Accordion!”. And they did indeed incorporate an accordion in their repertoire, quite frequently, as well as many more instruments, as they played through a gentle, Radiohead-inspired set. However, once the hysteria died down, I made some observations. Similarly to Huggins, Seagull too specialises in crafting placid tones. Its a kind of moody rock that runs monotonously throughout their set, always teetering on the verge of something, but never really quite reaching the lofty heights one might hope.

It’s a gimmicky sound, a familiar one that has been reproduced with better results. Again, the crowd just weren’t interested, and Seagull hardly gave them any reason to be. I can’t fault their playing, but the conclusion I arrive at is this: they have a square and not one thought ventures beyond it. I can’t fault their musicianship, and they certainly have potential, but its when Seagull begin to experiment that they will begin to evolve into something bigger and better.

The lights dimmed and All In It built the anticipation of the headline act’s arrival. A sudden explosion of sound, and British Sea Power were filing onto the Corner stage, greeted at once with an enormous response. The front line was filled out with a trio of guitars and an electric violin, and it was soon understood that with the addition of a trumpet and keys to the mix, we were in for a treat. British Sea Power proved just that: an epic ensemble that set and kept a frenetic pace from start to finish.

The infectious Remember Me featured an anthemic outro, among the crowd favorites of the evening, as well as Atom and No Lucifer, as the band continued on their merrily gritty, energetic way. The band takes textbook rock and roll and breathes welcomed life into the genre with impressive ease. Hamilton and Yan alternated vocals the entire night, and worked tirelessly to bring a welcomed intensity previously lost on the night. The set rolled on and on, and it was hard to imagine how anyone could leave empty handed.

In fact, should there be any criticism of their show, its that it was hugely taxing on the crowd, especially as an introduction to anyone previously unfamiliar with their work. Nevertheless, it was a veritable rock feast and a near-flawless performance, each aspect and instrument combining with superb precision. It was also a treat for fans to hear new material ahead of an imminent fifth LP release from the group.

It’s always a pleasure to know, by the end of the night, that a band has done their utmost and given absolutely everything to their performance – and that’s British Sea Power in a nutshell. It was perfectly ferocious rock the night long that rewarded patient fans, and no doubt it was an evening that will see British Sea Power back here soon enough.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG