Brisbanites are a bloody parochial bunch. Be it the traditional sporting pursuits or the weird innate pride felt by its dark political past, Brisbanites love getting out and showing those snotty southerners what it’s all about. And so with that vibe, Brisbane’s music once again gathered at the bastion of indie cred – The Zoo – to launch this year’s installment of Brisbane Sounds, an annual snapshot of what’s happening in the scene.

A schedule change meant shambolic multi-instrumental folk-poppers Lion Island were first up and were unfortunately missed. A couple of breathless tweets from colleagues indicated they were rather impressive in the slowly filling dank room. Grunge and garage wails were the order of the day for Dirtybird, after a slightly messy start thanks to missing band members and malfunctioning equipment. The 3-piece wears its stylistic hearts on its sleeves and comparisons to Nirvana are almost instant with its frantic energy and strained, almost incoherent vocals. The loud/quiet/loud agenda was exciting and even a little exhilarating, with vitriolic Queen top of the set list.

Venturing sonically in the complete opposite direction, The Coalition Crew headed up the hip hop element of the night. Plumbing the historically rich vein of live Bris hip hop once so forbidden within these walls – then lovingly embraced – the Crew hark back to a time of endless optimism for the burgeoning scene. It’s an optimism which may have dwindled elsewhere due to the mainstream being co-opted by the Hilltop Hoods and the needless comparisons between them and all those who follow, but the Crew obviously pay it no heed. With the addition of MC Kel to give a feminine touch, MC Yuin Huzame breezes through some under appreciated numbers for this predominantly indie crowd. The theme for the night was for all bands to play a Brisbane cover in their set, and Coalition Crew’s was undoubtedly the most courageous in terms of genre-hop: The Saints’ Know Your Product, complete with trumpet and saxophone accompaniment.

If Brisbane Sounds is all about capturing a moment, then the next two bands fit the bill perfectly. Grand Atlantic play the melodic, emotional pop-rock which is currently coursing through this city’s veins. A natural progression from where this sound was heading at Brisbane’s zenith during the heady mid-90s, Grand Atlantic are solid purveyors of this sub-genre. The driving pulse of She’s A Dreamer borders on saccharin joy, with building pop hooks and considered lyrics. The mid-90s nod was confirmed with their Brisbane cover of Custard’s Alone from their impressive ‘94 album Wahooti Fandango – played with a straight bat, it was the most accurate and telling choice of the night.

The Cairos take it a decade further back and tip their hats at post-punk and even the electronic-edged 80s indie pop. Double speed hi-hat cymbals underline their rhythmic focus throughout the set, with cuts from their Lost At Sea EP – Batman and Whales – raising the bar significantly. The room reached its excitement peak during this set, with all eyes glued to the infectious, staccato structures coming from the stage. Regurgitator’s Black Bugs was an almost predictable Brisbane cover, even though it became obvious half way through that this band is sorely lacking in keytar solos like the original.

A stripped back version of The Gin Club – a measly 5-piece – reached the stage somewhere near midnight in this mini-festival, after a brief toast from event organiser Blair Hughes. Set to a tight schedule, they rollicked through a set not only name-checking their back catalogue (_Days_ and Drug Flowers are appreciated), but also hinting at what was to come from their newly recorded offering. A couple of slow numbers thinned the audience considerably, with many missing highlights of new songs Deathwish and Shake Hands, which alluded to a more bombastic and dramatic rock approach akin to The Black Crowes. A lyric cheat sheet was in order for the predominantly German lyrics of their main Brisbane cover, Sich Offnen by Not From There. The cheat sheet was far from necessary for the set closer, however – a cover of the Queensland Bulls’ cricket team anthem I Love Cricket – a lovely reminder of Brisbane and its overt parochialism.