Melbournes Indie rockers British India have been covering the festival circuit lately playing festivals including Groovin the Moo, Ripe Noosa and Come Together, so it was enjoyable to watch them let their hair down and have some fun at a more intimate gig at the Hi-Fi Bar on Saturday night.

Brisbane’s local indie group The Bloodpoets kicked off the night’s proceedings with an energetic eight-song set. The vocals of lead singer Tom Murphy and keyboardist Bec Plath complimented each other very well. They played a few songs off their debut album Polarity including Dance and Borderline. But being the first band of the night meant the audience (except for one very happy punter) didn’t really get into it which was a shame because as each song built so did their stage presence and it was clear that they were giving it their all.

Following the indie rocker trend of the night, Brisbane boys, * The Cairos* graced the stage next. They played an entertaining 45 minute set which included songs such as Seven Years, Batman and Temper. From the first song Whales to their final song of the set The Cairos seemed to almost play effortlessly with incredible drumming from BC Michaels and a captivating front man in Alistar Richardson. Towards the end of the set Richardson and guitarist Alfio Alivuzza appeared to start having a play fight on stage which involved them shoulder barging each other with their guitars and then knocking a mic stand over in the process. Throughout their set the crowd crept closer to the stage and started to get a bit livelier as the band catered to their curiosity.

By this point in the night the floor had filled up as people began taking up their positions for British India who came onstage at 10.45. As soon as the curtain revealed the stage, cheers and screams could be heard as the band were finally about to show everyone why they were here, which was to have a good time. They opened the set with a track off their new album Avalanche which was 90 Ways to Leave Your Lover and by the end of the second song You will Die, I Will Take Over, the band was already dripping with sweat and so was a large amount of the crowd.

Vocals from lead singer Declan Melia were intense and hitting the right notes all night and after talking about some of the more weird and random shows they have been playing recently he said it was, “Refreshing to be back playing in front of our kind of people.”

The band smashed through songs off all three albums Guillotine, Thieves and Avalanche: including Tie Up My Hands, Run The Red Light and Vanilla which was a turning point in the set and saw both the band and crowd reach a new level of excitement and energy. During This Dance Is Loaded a very persistent drunk crowd surfer kept things interesting while the band continued to sweat it out on stage.

Another highlight of the night was the rocked up cover of the Beastie Boys’ Fight for Your Right which showcased the bands’ diversity and talent. Their set was supposed to close with Black and White Radio but the crowd demanded more and got a 3 song encore, finishing with Russian Roulette and Outside 109 and left the crowd in a sweaty frenzy.