The night started off with a slightly confusing air after one of the bands advertised to play – four piece The Panda Band - seemed to have morphed into a three-piece with a female bassist. It slowly dawned that after a lineup-shuffling, Daughterboy Jao were slotted in the space originally reserved for the Panda Band. No one from the audience seemed too disappointed however as the Melbourne-based duo (plus live drummer) belted out a familiar blend of dirty blues rock with a scattering of garage rock cliches.

Daughterboy Jao seemed to set a trend for End of Fashion’s later performance by launching into a strong opening before experiencing somewhat of a plateau. Granted, it’s always tough in the “support’s support” category but it seemed that the group – and predominately lead singer Oliver Jao Smith - weren’t quite in the zone. Meanwhile, bassist Emma Forrest was almost distractingly sexual and drummer Dave Nicholls really seemed to be giving his all to no avail. The sparseness of the band’s sound could perhaps could have proven more effective if some emotion filled in the gaps, however, there was a distinct lack of explosive passion in the band’s set. I kept wondering when Forrest was going to chime in with some backing vocals, but it didn’t happen until a few songs into the set, and even then it was minimal. 

In comparison, Faker set the house on fire. They took an ambush approach, working up to the enthusiastically-received  old favourite Kids on Overload and stealthily approached with Hurricane. Lead singer Nathan Hudson was outstanding (especially in comparison to the previous motionless performance) in every sense of the word, climbing up on equipment, ladders, and obnoxiously encouraging the remainder of the band. Lighter pop tune Werewolf also made an appearance, among a selection of more recent tracks the band has been churning out on their seemingly perpetual touring schedule. Do a search for Faker on Google and all that seems to turn up is live reviews of these guys. All in all, Faker duly impressed both myself and the steadily-gathering crowd. Their blend of rock pop – with the occasional nod to punk and even goth influences – is not only beautifully crafted, it’s also executed with a hell of a lot of style and a decent serving of self-assurance.

Speaking of style, End of Fashion emerged from their recording hidey hole in Mississippi to share some of the fruits of their labour. Lead singer Justin began by exclaiming he was “SO FUCKING EXCITED!” to be back in the touring habit armed with a swag of new material.

It certainly seemed that the band were juiced up on creative energy at first, even if it seemed to dissipate slightly as the set neared an end. Though it must be said that there is something inherently infectious about End of Fashion’s music. It’s so damn catchy, yet it’s messy enough to slide into the indie rock category. The choruses are usually stuffed full of pop sensibilities, yet the songs overall are often chunky slices of relentless, cymbal-whalloping, neck-vein-popping rock goodness.

There are exceptions of course, like the creamy ballad Rough Diamonds, that provide some time for reflection. But the End of Fashion sound seems to be best captured in indie pop rock like Too Careful, where naive falsetto harmonies combine with some heavy distortion over frantic basslines. These slightly more upbeat numbers certainly got the crowd moving, the flowing beer rapidly encouraging those self-conscious stiff movements into flailing limbs. The only criticism that can be mustered for End of Fashion is that although their special blend is effective, it can become just slightly predictable.

It often seems it’s nights like this, at local venues with Australian bands, that makes or breaks artists’ potential for sustained popularity. Although I haven’t completely written Daughterboy Jao off, the live performance is a huge factor in the direction the band will head. On the plus side, End of Fashion secured their live status some time ago, and seem to be perpetuating their good reputation. Don’t even get me started on gushing about Faker – just go and see them. You’ll be glad you did.