Live Review: Jonathan Boulet The HiFi

It's easy to feel just a little bit bad for local indie outfit Oh Ye Denver Birds this evening. Three months after dropping their debut full-length Good Ivy, the quartet give a spirited, animated and tight performance for a crowd who, while appreciative in their applause, just can't bring themselves to clamber from the floor to dance along. This is in no way the band's failing, though, as they are in fine form: the vocals of Dom Stephens and Kat Gough are sweet as syrup and complementary in achieving a robust and clear soundscape throughout. They do hit a snag in the form of a broken string on the way into Sea Other, but recovery is swift enough to not impact the set's ethereal and evocative atmosphere.

But then beloved Adelaide four-piece Wolf & Cub take the stage and kick that atmosphere straight in its balls, sending it flying into overdrive with their brash, energetic brand of dual-percussion-driven psych rock. There's a pervasive sense of polish and seasoned casualness throughout their performance, which seems slightly counterintuitive given their music's inherent fuzz and brutality, but speaks volumes to the group's professionalism and talent. Recent single See The Light stands out, but nary a misstep is taken by the furious four from go to whoa.

Either way, it's a solid taster for the similarly bombastic set-up of Jonathan Boulet, who rounds out his entourage with a trio of guitars and dual drummer-percussionists. Sporting fresh songs from his excellent sophomore effort We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart, Boulet comes blasting out of the gate with the big, boisterous flair of Black Smokehat. The quintet waste no time in showing they're here to party, with wildly energetic stage antics coming from all corners. The rolling drums and unrelenting drive of early single 3 2 1 Ready Or Not follow in kind before they launch into the mega-death of Hallowed Hag. Though the unrestrained discord of that song apparently takes a few punters by surprise, the freedom and joy that follows in This Song Is Called Ragged more than wins them back as the room finally starts reciprocating en masse in terms of enthusiasm and energy. It's well-timed, too, as Boulet parades through a trio of recent material including FM AM CB TV and the stabby stop-start goodness of Trounce before soldiering on to a fine finish in the form of clear favourite A Community Service Announcement and the fittingly victorious, and just a little sweaty, You're A Animal. Talk about giving it your all.