Live Review: Antelope, Wolves At The Door & The Flower Drums

An exciting night was in store for Perth's very own instrumental post-rockers Antelope, who were showcasing their new single Perennial in a very cosy-feeling Bird. Jack Doepel began proceedings with a groovy DJ set to craft the mood and settle everyone in, before The Flower Drums took to the stage to perform. The group were super-tight instrumentally and certainly the most fun of the bands on the bill, drawing a group of women to the front of the stage to dance the best they could to the band's eerie, psych-rock sound. Vocalist Leigh Craft was in fine form, too; the light and shade in his tones had each song feeling new and fresh.

A short break, and Wolves At The Door took up the reigns with their brooding blend of alternative rock. Like their predecessors, the band's performance was solid, characterised by a jarring guitar sound and a somewhat haunting vocal delivery from Ash Hendricks. While many in the crowd enjoyed the show, it felt like there were also a number of people with a take-it-or-leave-it vibe, an issue which could be avoided with a little more variety in the band's collaborative sound, as by the end of the set it did seem to be getting slightly repetitive.

It took a little longer than usual to get Antelope set up, but it was well worth the wait. A backdrop accompanied the group, which would feature a montage of landscapes and various other images by way of projector. This proved to be very efficient in harmonising the band's performance musically, each song finding a way to complement what was being displayed on screen. Perennial, the song of which the night itself was for, was performed flawlessly, a beautiful concoction of strong guitar tones and steady drum beats, with a lingering echoed vocal playing in the background. What was most enjoyable about this tune was that it seemed to possess a subtlety about it, a refreshing change to their generally intense and loud nature. All in all, it was a fantastic evening for local music, but don't be too upset if you missed out – given how busy all the bands involved were, we'll no doubt be hearing from them all again soon.