Live Review: The Murlocs, Straight Arrows

Looks can certainly be deceiving as Straight Arrows proved with face-melting, fuzzed-out solos and ear-piercing feedback, dishing up a sound somewhere between The Clash and The Eels during crowd favourite Make Up Your Mind.

Dressed to impress in matching overalls that read “Uncle Merle”, The Murlocs hit the stage and the mosh pit was alive and pumping after only one song. Frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith and bassist Cook ‘Cookie’ Craig are also members of one of Australia's biggest exports of late, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and had no trouble delighting the crowd with their quirky dance moves. Kenny-Smith is a talented vocalist and mouth organ player with his telltale wail cutting through the muddy, sometimes indiscernible, rhythm instruments like a knife.

Tracks like Rolling On had the crowd particularly legless at the mercy of the mosh, while Space Cadet messed with their minds a little. They really hit the nail on the head with these two tracks, achieving some impressive heady rock moments.

The energy of the crowd was on a steady increase throughout the show as Kenny-Smith moved about, reaching an audience personal best of four people crowd surfing at one time. As Kenny-Smith continued to coil the mic lead around his neck, The Murlocs' barnyard bluesy stomp shook the house before they closed the set with Noble Soldier. These guys clearly have a dedicated following, and live, they simply rock.