Live Review: Harlem, Bleeding Knees Club, Amyl & The Sniffers

Tonight's bill was thrown somewhat into turmoil during the week with scheduled performer Colleen Green being denied entry into the country for visa issues. Fortunately, the line-up is strong enough to absorb the loss of the Californian slacker songstress, Melbourne pub punks Amyl & The Sniffers stepping up to the plate and destroying all and sundry before them with their old school sonic. They collectively look like a throwback to the '70s pub circuit, especially dervish Sharpie waif vocalist Amy Taylor and the spectacular mullet of bassist Fergus Romer, but their pulsating sound owes as much to Eddy Current as it does Rose Tattoo. Their songs are fortunately way too strong to be overshadowed by the visual feast, and they get a huge response from the slamming masses up front who throw themselves around with abandon to tunes like I'm Not A Loser, Westgate and Balaclava Lover Boogie.

Next up Bleeding Knees Club return from a lengthy hiatus to show off a completely new dynamic, frontman Alex Wall remaining from the original duo but now augmented by three new members. The band's catchy pop-punk aesthetic, however, remains firmly entrenched, and whether brand new banger Chew The Gum or old faves like Truth Or Dare, Have Fun and Teenage Girls their vibe is catchy and energetic and plenty of fun. Wall still exudes plenty of laid-back charisma out front and seems stoked with the new line-up, the band gelling well and showing plenty of spark as they finish with the scuzzy Bad Guys.

Speaking of overdue returns, nobody can truly explain why we're suddenly being afforded our first ever visit by Texan garage-punks Harlem - who've hardly even played a show anywhere in the States for some seven years, and were until this tour was announced an expired entity as far as most people were concerned - but it matters naught as the trio take their positions and burst into a squall of gloriously catchy bubblegum ditties as if them suddenly being in Brisbane is the most natural thing in the world. Michael Coomer starts on guitar/vocal duties and bangs out a stream of sneeringly melodic tunes like Gay Human Bones, Someday Soon, Be Your Baby and Tila & I, bassist Jose Boyer and drummer Curtis O'Mara holding down ragged rhythms and offering excellent gang vocals that introduce even more hooks to the already beguiling party. Without warning Coomer and O'Mara swap roles, the latter emerging from behind the kit to pump out another stream of golden nuggets such as Beautiful And Very Smart, Number One and the effortlessly endearing Friendly Ghost, the band's infectious style evoking the shambolic majesty of early Black Lips as the rapturous crowd jerk and spasm in appreciation. As they finish this mysterious outing with the cathartic howl of Scare You, it's heart-warming to reflect on amazing music like this existing below the radar, or even in this case really just existing at all.