Live Review: The Preatures, Major Leagues, The Creases

Local duo The Creases open proceedings tonight playing live as a four-piece. They are goddamn phenomenal, their jangly guitar lines conjuring thoughts of Jonathan Richman fronting The Cure. Their intoxicating blend of sunshiny pop with brilliantly intuitive, rough edges illustrate why legendary UK label Rough Trade are soon to release their debut single I Won't Wait. It's an amazing start to the evening, the early set capturing Preature Isabella Manfredi's attentions as she presses the early evening crowd flesh.

The all-girl frontline triple threat of Major Leagues comes next, complete with some pretty tight indie chops and interesting time signature change-ups. The early tunes come dabbled in effects and seem a little too much style over substance before a late slice of indie pop seems to play more towards the band's strengths. The unenviable task of following The Creases is handled well, though, in a slightly overlong support set that improves as it goes along.

The sold-out Lodge's crowd intensity then surges with the Eye Of The Tiger intro of stunning opener Manic Baby as tonight's headliners and band-of-the-moment The Preatures hit the stage. The aforementioned Manfredi pogoes like an Energiser bunny in front of the wall-of-hair rhythm section. They're very much a unit, The Preatures. Across tunes such as Revelation (So Young) and Take A Card Manfredi and co-vocalist Gideon Bensen bounce off each other with uncanny stage interplay and spatial awareness as lead guitarist and producer Jack Moffitt proves a crucial linking cog lurking out the side.

Manfredi is the ultra-charismatic focus of the performance, holding court like a modern day Chrissie Amphlett combined with Karen O's fidgety intensity. At one point she strips to a crop-top undershirt before dousing herself in water, another time adding commentary to the recent T-shirt-Gate photo censorship episode emanating from the Vanda & Young Songwriting win with a good luck wish to Tony Abbott in his new Women's Affairs role.

The presence of back-of-room talkers confirm the presence of people here only to hear that song, and the band duly obliges with a stomping version of Is This How You Feel? which places the ceiling separating the downstairs Cosmopolitan Café and the punters in true jeopardy. A raucous call for the encore's end sees the band return after a short absence with early single Threat followed and a terrific Fleetwood Mac-esque closer that illustrates the range covered and recent stylistic evolution of the band. The Preatures are impossible not to like and root for; tonight's show a great success and one that proves the hype is well deserved.