The Last Broadcast @ TheEdinburgh Castle, Adelaide(14/01/11)

Mon 17th Jan, 2011 in Gig Reviews

A balmy Friday night at the Ed Castle was the perfect setting for a great night of local music. Kicking things off were rock quintet Lyla, who put in a super strong performance. I can just imagine their energy and catchy, singalong type anthems transferring well to bigger stages like at the Big Day Out. The real disappointment during this set was that there was only a small handful of people watching. The awesome bass line really was the quietly driving force behind the two guitars, keyboard and some solid drumming – reminding me a lot of Melbourne four-piece Dallas Crane. These guys are definitely on my list to see again.

Next up were Adelaide indie scene stalwarts Galleon. It’s been a few years since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Nick Deegan front a four-piece rock outfit, and he hasn’t slowed down one bit. The band really put their electric guitars to use and put in a solid performance for the slightly bigger crowd that had gathered.

Having never seen The Last Broadcast before despite meaning to, I can definitely say I was pleasantly surprised with how polished – but more importantly – how fun these guys are on stage. The five-piece was complemented by a two-piece horn section (better known as 20th Century Graduates ) on a couple of tunes – adding a fine touch to their blues-folk-pop-with-a-dash-of-60s-rock sound.

Not only was it the last show for drummer Michael Heath who’s off on other projects, but it was one of the last performances for the band before they hit the studio – and they certainly gave it their all. Within seconds there were people on the dancefloor, and by the end of the set around half the room was getting their groove on. Lead singer Tom Kurzel’s raspy vocals teamed with the band’s lively guitar and keyboard-driven sound was enough to get your happy hands out or your feet moving.

The only bad thing I could say was that it felt like the tiny stage at the Ed didn’t give them much room to move and really show what they’re capable of; especially for the last track Into The Night. It would’ve been great to see the boys go off on stage as much as the crowd was having fun in front of them. If you’re up for a night of upbeat, old-school with a modern feel type live show, these guys are a must-see.