Live Review: Boys Boys Boys!, Boom! Pap Pow!, 44th Sunset, Wasabi Peas

The scent of nostalgia was still thick in the air on Friday night in the aftermath of triple j's Hottest 100 of the last 20 years, and those of us who were hungry for more were smart enough to head down to The Bakery for what was a night full of '90s vibes with the release of Boys Boys Boys!'s latest album, We Are Excited About Everything. Those of us who got down early were lucky enough to catch a set from the Kucka girls' side-project, Wasabi Peas, who drenched the audience with erratic beats and industrial glitches, with the constant chant of “We are Wasabi Peas, we are wassup!” playing on loop. While the act was undoubtedly the odd one out on the bill, the crowd seemed to really dig the beats.

Their newly released EP is certainly something to be excited by and as such, it was unfortunate that 44^th Sunset weren't playing in front of a larger crowd, as their music, like the bands still to follow them, is best heard and enjoyed when the room is packed to full capacity. Still, the teenagers were as true to form as ever, and it was great to see a few audience members disregarding any judgement they might receive and dancing alone to popular hits Caesar and Blue Ribbon.

If anyone was going to get crowd moving in the lead up to the headlining band, Boom! Bap! Pow! were certainly the group to do it. Fronted by the captivatingly quirky Novac Bull, the band spun off their wonderfully catchy brand of '50s rock'n'roll. Their experience together shone through with the group playing with as much precision and composure as one could expect from anybody. The pit at the front of the stage, which started with two dancers from the previous band, expanded to over half the audience letting loose by the end of the set and by that point, the audience were well and truly ready for the last performance of the night.

Regardless of what your preferred music genre is, I dare you go to a Boys Boys Boys! performance and tell me you didn't have fun. I wouldn't believe you if you said so. The packed venue was treated to a bunch of new songs from the group's new album and as a fan who has seen the band play on numerous occasions, it's safe to say they have lifted their game to a whole new level with this release. Aided by an extremely retro PowerPoint presentation, the three ladies on the singing and dancing front were as fun and adorable as ever, their smiles spreading infectiously through the crowd as they danced to new tunes Cut The Roof Off Your Car and I'm Here Forever, as well as old favourites Ticky Ticky Boom and Super Nintendo. The band had us partying like it was 1999 and come the end of the show we were left quite simply with the hope that the band would continue to bring to us these parties for years to come yet.