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Calling All Cars finally brought their Hold, Hold, Fire tour over to the West Side and fans loved them for it.

The attention of the slowly-building crowd was set on the clean cut Sons of Rico, one of the most different rock acts out there. The music itself tipped its hat to so many different artists that it was difficult to keep track (Artic Monkeys, The Beatles, Mika-style vocals, Wolfmother, etc.). Clad in cardigans and blazers, they played incredibly tight and impressed the crowd with well-executed guitar harmonies and falsetto. Ignite was played as a long, epic version and their single This Madness, their final song, was equally as cool.

Sons of Rico are one of those bands that sound much better live than they do recorded, which is good or bad depending on how you look at it. There’s no doubt that Triple J will love them.

The foursome Young Revelry clambered onto the stage and opened with 1973 to a crowd that had almost doubled. Each band member looked as though they were from a different decade; guitarist from the 70s, singer and keyboardist from the 90s and the drummer from now. The crowd seemed to like them and moved towards the front to dance along. After a few songs, though, each song sounded like the one before and it blurred at times. The guitar noise did get a bit much and the Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar antics (playing with their teeth, crawling on the floor) were constantly performed. You almost felt like they saved the best for last, with Reckless Minds and a “song and a half” to end their energetic set.

Brisbane rockers Numbers Radio kept the energy flowing and didn’t disappoint the large crowd as they waved their arms to Dave Orr’s (guitar, vocals) instructions. Opening with single Come On, the three-piece sounded as solid as ever. People came from outside to watch their set and filled the gaps on the floor. With only one guitar, a distorted bass made sure that silences were filled. Guitar solos seemed to come from nowhere, though, as Orr played the rhythm and a second guitarist was nowhere to be seen. Robbie Carlyon (bass) danced all over the stage, and drunken members of the crowd seemed to do the same. Automatic was a highlight, as well as Boring, which had the crowd waving their arms in unison with the beat.

Put simply, Numbers Radio played fun, catchy, straight-up rock and roll and the crowd loved them for it.

Calling All Cars burst onstage after the True Blood theme song (“I wanna do bad things to you…”) to screams of delight and anticipation. The Rosemount was packed full of people that both appreciated them and were actual fans of their music. Musically, they were incredibly tight, professional, and pitch-perfect. They played both new and well-known songs that allowed the crowd to sing along confidently. Haydn Ing (guitar, vocals) led the crowd like an army and they followed gladly, clapping their hands when instructed and singing back when the microphone was turned onto them. Hold, Hold Fire was a standout and got a huge reaction as a silhouette of Ing jumped onto the drum kit (where drummer James Ing never missed a beat).

Their pure energy made up for the fact that there were only three of them onstage. Not Like Anybody went off as the crowd competed with each other to see who could jump the highest. During Liar, which also had a great reception, front man Ing decided to climb onto the PA and jump off of it in true rock star fashion as the bassist, Atom Montgomery, stood on the drums. No one seemed to tire of their fast-paced rock when they launched into their final song for the night, Disconnect. Haydn Ing turned the light onto the crowd in time to see a crowd surfer as he ordered everyone to clap along.

Everyone in the Rosemount seemed reluctant to let them go but were satisfied after a night of pure energy.

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