Live Review: Horror My Friend, Lost Woods, Framework

As a general rule, all-local line-ups bring with them beers, banter and a strong sense of family. The Bakehouse show at Jive last night certainly fulfilled these expectations, with organiser Brett Pike's brainchild bringing together like-minded Adelaide folk for a night of groovy musical appreciation.  

Despite the less-than-large crowd, Framework pumped out their grungey punk with cool enthusiasm. The strong three-piece nailed an opening set that reeked of good ol'-fashioned rock.

The impressively soaring vocals of Peter White of Lost Woods rang out through the room next as the band burst out in a bubble of tambourine-fuelled indie rock. A band who seem to be just finding their sound, they're definitely one to watch. Their solid performance pushed them into more than just a blip on the radar that is Adelaide's rapidly expanding music scene.  

Bounding on stage and ripping through quiet chatter with the resonating energy of a pubescent teenage boy were local favourites Horror My Friend. Despite the slight technical difficulties at the beginning of their set, the band were able to laugh it off and carry on, not seeming to take themselves too seriously.  

Whipping out cool tracks, among them Mazes and Stay In, the band struck the perfect combination, playing the type of music you could thrash around to without feeling too emo. Bassist Tom Gordon played with a fervour often unseen in the brooding stereotypes often associated with the instrument, while Josh Battersby's guitar skills effortlessly drilled through riffs while he totally rocked out on stage. Drummer Sam Kolesnik bashed along happily, flawlessly progressing from track to track. It's obvious the boys have been playing together for a while (or they're really good at pretending they have), watching each other intently and setting up a good stage dynamic.    

Apart from a few eager individuals, the crowd quietly and intently watched as tracks like A Million Hands showed off the group's musicianship. They seemed to be playing in their own little world, as if the show was just another jam session in their mum's garage. This worked both in their favour and against them and made for a not-quite-perfect live performance. With a bit of tweaking, the band's live sound could definitely be transformed into a force to be reckoned with.

The chilled-out vibe made for a successful night. When you manage to pull three people onstage to do a shoey, you know you've just kicked off the party.