Originally advertised as an Expatriate headline show, it’s hard to say whether the addition of the Red Riders to the bill brought in more punters, or if it just gave those already holding tickets even more reason to be excited about tonight’s show. Whatever the reaction, the combination of two of Perth’s best live acts, followed by two of Sydney’s finest exports saw quite a crowd at the Rosemount Hotel before the first band even started.

Up first were local boys Sugar Army, and whether it be by design or technical shortcoming, the stark – see: almost non-existent – lighting did much to add atmosphere to their already dark, slightly foreboding sound. And despite being the first band on, they still managed to draw quiet a crowd.

Towards the end of their set, The Silents made comment that this was their first show in ages and to be frank, at points it sounded it. Usually a little more focused than this, they played a fairly loose set that suffered at times from mix issues – jangley guitars coming through a little too trebly at points. By the end of things however, most of the cobwebs and dust had been blown off and they managed to end on a high note. Hopefully The Silents are now all warmed up for next time.

With two EPs under their collective belt and an album due later in the year, Expatriate would – or if not, should - be towards the top of a lot of ‘Bands to watch in ‘07’ lists. Tonight, they played to what looked like a sell-out crowd, so if you wanted to dance there wouldn’t have been room. Playing through most of both EPs, tracks from Lovers le Strange lost some of their simple, synthetic charm to the sound of loud guitars and pounding drums – Aviation at Night and Killer Kat in particular coming across much more like rock songs than pop songs – bBut both still had the crowd moving as much as they possibly could.

Newer songs from Play a Part, including the title track and Heart Attack, went down a treat. The slightly sleazy Only Wanna Love Ya saw Alex from The Red Riders join the band on stage to lend a hand on vocals; then, as they played through their last song, singer Ben King stepped down from the stage and took a stroll through the crowd, making the mood even more intimate than it already was.

Much like Expatriate, The Red Riders you know on record doesn’t really represent The Red Riders as a live act. Their minimalist rock approach sound translates to a far more rawkus live show than you’d expect as they open with the very loud C’mon from debut album Replica Replica, getting the show off to a fantastic start.

Through the next hour or so they played a very energetic set, managing to cover most of the tracks from Replica, Replica, including What they Say About Us, Scream, Slide in Next to Me and A.S.P.I.R.I.N., stopping frequently between songs to thank the crowd, honestly humbled and seemingly surprised by the turnout.

A passionate In My Sleep polished off what was a triumphant set from the Red Riders, ending the opening date of their tour on a high – both band and audience walking away more than satisfied.