My Fiction are a Brisbane band which have always teetered on the edge of a modest success. Never fully breaking through, yet remaining a name that sticks in the mind of many a punter in Brisbane. Chances are you may have seen or heard the track Every June either on Triple J or Rage but never quite drew the connection. Tonight, the band is launching their much-anticipated debut album Fire! Romance! Fire! To a devoted crowd of both new and old fans alike.

In my experience as a reviewer, shows at The Zoo tend to both start and finish late. The bands tonight do remarkably well to make the night run smoothly and it’s all over by midnight. As a result, my late arrival means I have already missed opening act The Belligerents.

Numbers Radio seem like an odd choice for a support. Arguably, this band has enjoyed more success than the headlining act. Regardless of this, the three piece demonstrate why they are regarded as such a powerhouse on stage. The crunchy twang of Dave Orr’s riffs combine with the fuzzy tones of Robbie Carlyon’s bass to create a massive wall of sound which blasts from the speakers. Orr yelps and wails, his shaggy haircut swishing everywhere as he bounds about the stage. However it is drummer Mark Hnnman who commands this performance with a barrage of thunderous tom fills, cymbal crashes and snare cracks. Sadly, despite this dynamic outpour of energy the crowd is mostly unmoved by the up-beat riff-assaults of You & I, Automatic and Come On. Bizarrely one of the tracks that provokes the most response from the crowd is their song entitled Boring. Truth is, the track’s name is misleading. Their performance tonight is far from what the title implies.

My Fiction’s performance is preceded by five scantily-clad burlesque dancers performing a striptease. Perhaps it was too long to be an introduction per-se, but it certainly grabbed the attention of the crowd and people begin to amass at the front of the stage. When the dancers finish the sound of white noise blends with synthesiser to herald the beginning of band’s performance.

Guitarist James Laubscher is having some technical difficulties tonight for the first couple of songs. He fails to produce much more than some indistinguishable fuzz. When he finally gets his pedals working for their track Gravel Rash and Football Stars things only go upward from there and his true brilliance begins to shine. He explores every conceivable sound his Stratocaster can produce using finger tapping, effects pedals and fast-paced strumming to layer a variable plethora of sound onto the synthesiser and bass parts of Mike Willimet. There is no greater example of his unconventional approach than on the album’s title track Fire! Romance! Fire! Where his strumming creates long sustained notes allowing Willime’’s xylophone part to truly shine. It is disappointing that the violin part is lost in the mix because it would have added an extra element to a sound bursting with pop sensibilities. Eric Robinson just oozes confidence in his role as front-man, his deep lustful voice crooning over the parts and his flamboyancy capturing full attention; except when the burlesque dancers reappear on stage and do shots out of each other’s breasts.

Each song brings different and contrasting musical elements, straddling the lines between indie pop, alternative and electro. Despite some tracks being so toe-tappingly catchy the punters at the middle and back of The Zoo remain motionless. Perhaps they are confused by the footage of prisms, contorting lines and arcade games displayed on a projector screen behind the band. Only a few dedicated fans in the front decide to embrace their inhibitions and dance. Arguably the turning point in the crowd’s participation was their blistering cover of Gorillaz Feel Good Inc. They are joined on stage by Fred Leone aka Rival MC from Brisbane hip-hop outfit Impossible Odds who raps in duet with Robinson’s megaphone vocal delivery. The infectious groove spreads throughout the audience and bodies begin to pulsate to the beat for the last few songs, before Every June sends the crowd into a frenzied excitement.

The dancers of the sensual Judy Dolls appear on stage and beg the crowd to usher the band back on stage for an encore. The crowd complies and the four curly-haired gentlemen assume their positions. The dancers prance around for the first song before the band brings the evening to a close. If the performance tonight is a reflection of the album My Fiction has created, it should be an accomplishment the quartet should be truly proud of.