The sidewalks are melting figuratively and perhaps literally on Saturday afternoon so many people have escaped to Ric’s to catch some bands because everybody knows live music plus air conditioning and alcohol equals guaranteed fun. The Cheeseboard is a regular occurrence at Ric’s on Saturdays showcasing a variety of different bands covering a wide range of musical genres every week from four till six. This week in particular features two bands- The Gallery Kiss and Twist Oliver, Twist!

The Gallery Kiss, a four piece band from the Gold Coast, blast the small venue with their crushing sound. Their songs are clearly influenced by thrash punk acts like The Blood Brothers but The Gallery Kiss veer from straight forward hardcore music as a result of the combination of their catchy guitar and bass riffs and danceable drum beats. Lead singer Waylon’s voice jumps from harmonious to a more traditional punk scream (a good punk scream should always be admired) at times and the whole band manoeuvre seamlessly through the numerous pace changes of each song in the set. One particular highlight was a mini cover of the Justice vs Simian track We are your Friends, which The Gallery Kiss manage to make sound like it perhaps would have been improved had it been recorded with a more hardcore/less techno slant (although this admittedly may have affected its popularity with the raver kids) and also a special mention needs to be made of drummer Simon who managed to produce continuously frenzied beats while appearing to not break a sweat. What’s most impressive about the band as a whole is that The Gallery Kiss keep up an amazingly feverish pace throughout their set with barely a pause between songs which maintains the momentum of their brief, but memorable performance.

It’s easy for all the rock and rollers out there to write off any synth based act as maybe a poor man’s version of ‘insert whatever electro/rock band NME is saying is cool at the moment here’ but it is definitely possible for a band to be carve out their own niche and Twist, Oliver Twist! is certainly well on their way to achieving this if today’s performance is any indication. With synths, bass, drums and vocals they create music that is probably best described as a mix of electronica with elements of 80s pop and a little dash of punk rock at times which when combined with the Ian Curtis-esque vocals of singer David Cleary produces a very unique and exciting sound.

The band’s performance throughout the set is cohesive and energetic, and what’s most apparent is that every member of the band is obviously enjoying playing and put their all into the show. Twist, Oliver Twist! have their own distinctive style that sets them apart which is best demonstrated by the final song Oh Delilah which not only has a very catchy pop hook, but hand claps and a synth solo. It’s not a proper gig without a drunk heckler and today’s heckler has a VB, his hat backwards and demands that the band play some music immediately (in less polite terms) during a break in proceedings but once the band does start up again he takes the floor and dances wildly for the remainder of the set. Any band that can turn an angry heckler into a super fan during the course of one performance as Twist, Oliver Twist! manage to do today is undoubtedly a band that’s going places.