Some possible song titles for album number two from blues-rock trio The Vasco Era:

When Our Presence Rubbed Off On the Local Supports: The Vasco Era have the kind of presence and stature that has the ability to rub off on other bands, like tonight’s first support act The Howlin’ Novocaines. The hotly-tipped quartet scored the opening slot at every show on the WA tour and at the third of four shows they had clearly extinguished any nerves and were relishing the experience. Tighter than any other band their age, The Howlin’ Novocaines’ set pulled together the best of London (indie-rock) and America’s deep south (rootsy rock) to make a sound that will surely take them places. Yes, a few tracks show the band’s influences a little too blatantly (The Libertines’ Horror Show and Astral Child by The Silents) but give it a year, maybe two or three, and people will be talking about the time they saw The Howlin’ Novocaines at the Prince.

When We Put the Poor Support Band in its Place: I’m sorry, Whiskey Go Gos, but I’m going to have to confiscate your copy of Youth and Young Manhood. The Kings of Leon comparisons are relevant even before you play your first chord or hit your first beat: Matthew Hutchinson, that’s the kind of hairstyle you could only pull off if your last name was Followill (and your first name Caleb). Michael Noonan, your presence onstage as ‘tambourinist’ is awkward. Learn to play guitar, as your band would benefit from a little more crunch. Touring with The Vasco Era, quite possibly the finest blues/indie/rock act our land has to offer, thoughts involving the words ‘back’, ‘drawing’ and ‘board’ have probably been running through your head a fair bit.

When My Voice Was the Star of the Show: Like Neil Young, vocalist Sid O’Neill can sing from his noise. Like Johnny Cash, he can sing from his stomach and, like the singer from that other band so readily referenced tonight, he’s more than capable of signing with his throat. Whether on the harder and more intense tracks like opener When We Forgot to Ask Ourselves why it Ever Came and When We All Lost it or the more heartfelt moments like When We Tried to Party to Forget About it, Sid’s voice rarely escapes the spotlight.

When I Almost Broke a Punter’s Nose: The O’Neill brothers’ parents probably had a hard time handling these two as kids, if the dynamic between Sid and his bassist brother Ted is anything to go by. While Sid is often happy to rest on his vocal or six string talents, even sitting down at times, Ted makes sure the full-band performance is always intense and vibrant. Throwing his bass back and forward across his body with every breakdown, the front row spend more than the occasional moment ducking to avoid a nasty altercation with four Fender tuning pegs.

When We Had to Buy Some New Drums: Why bother sitting down to play your drums? That’s right Michael Fitzgerald, you don’t need to hold back! In fact, it’s even better if you knock them all over. Rock n roll, kids!

When We Released an Album That Exceeded All Expectations: Their album is about as good as anything you’ll hear this year. After teasing us for a couple of years with a couple of EPs, they’ve finally proven their songs are good enough to work through a massive speaker stack at a festival main stage, a pair of headphones or, in this case, the modest house PA at a regional West Australian pub. And the more your ears warm to tracks on an album, the more enjoyable the live experience is.

When We Made That Sound Our Own: So what if BRMC didn’t tour Howl down here? And so what if Beck is too good for the west coast? We have our own master of steel guitar, thank you very much.

When They Remembered Us From Last Time: There’s always time to turn the clocks back and, after the boys made the southwest their own both at Southbound ‘06 and at Southbound ‘07, Triple J favourite Kingswood draws probably the second biggest sing-along of the night, reminding us that even before they had an album to tour, well-entrenched as a highlight of Vascos sets

When We Both Got to Play the Drums: When We Tried to Get You to Settle Down is probably the most inadequately named track of tonight’s set. Settle down? No way! Instead, Sid joins in with his skinsman to bring the track to a frenetic climax with extra drums that set the venue alight. While the recorded version is one of the highlights of the album, this is probably the most telling example of how The Vasco Era’s songs just have to be seen live.

When We Did Elvis: Much as their own material stands out from the pack, no gig from The Vasco Era is complete without that Elvis cover and this one is no exception. As Ted and Mike leave the stage for a quick drink, Sid silences the venue as he proves he’s got the goods to make Elvis sound as good (if not better) than The King himself, and as the crowd gradually pick their jaws up from the dusty floor, every paying punter soon found themselves singing along in full voice. Full marks.