Live Review: Hey Geronimo, Tom Lark, Jenny Broke The Window

On a dreary, wet Sydney night (this is our city in summer!) South Coast four-piece Jenny Broke The Window's intricate yet powerful indie-rock hooks couldn't quite dry out the crowd of soggy punters – a crowd whose population didn't reach double digits until the end of the first act's set. Another Summer stood out with its catchy chorus and great Octaver-effected guitar solo, but unfortunately there seemed to be no one there to sing along.

I hadn't heard of New Zealand natives Tom Lark before, but they left a hell of a first impression; the band's fiery stage presence shot their blissful, Beatley powerpop songs into high gear. On show was frontman Shannon Fowler's gently Auto-Tuned vocals atop a crunchy and powerful mess of distorted guitar, bass and drums. The trio somehow managed to pull out the biggest sound of the night, and with every track there was something new to fall in love with. Equal parts Kurt Vile, Ben Kweller and Wavves; I was blown away.

The crowd was crying out for some Brisbane sunshine, and they got it in spades. Hey Geronimo's energy and zeal onstage is goddamn contagious, and the small crowd was soon up and dancing along with them. The band gave an impressive performance that showcased the luscious three- and four-part harmonies prevalent on their new EP. Singles, Dan Kelly's Dream and Laser Gun Show, gave frontman Pete Kilroy space to show off his impressive vocal range, while drummer Tony Garrett was a star player throughout the night. I was surprised by how well the group translated their tight recordings on stage.

Unfortunately, the end of their set did seem to peter out a little: the band tested out a few unreleased tracks, which didn't quite seem to stick, and despite the heavy rotation tunes like Carbon Affair and closer, Why Don't We Do Something?, have received lately, they didn't quite feel like the grand finale the band deserved. What's more, all appreciation for pop music and catchy hooks aside, the band's set just didn't feel all that substantial. They felt to me like The Monkees to Tom Lark's Beatles – a band who play very well together onstage, but whose songs don't seem to amount to much more than danceable, hooky sing-alongs. But to the Goodgod crowd, it didn't seem to matter at all.