Live Review: Ball Park Music, The Creases, Sahara Beck

The all-ages line outside The Triffid snakes so far around the corner that it's easy for much of the crowd to miss Sahara Beck's performance this evening. It's a shame, because the Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter is known for her magnetic performances. Nonetheless, those audience members unfortunate enough to be stuck in the line can look forward to catching her next time she graces a stage in Brisbane.

Speaking of which, local band The Creases are looking more like a music video by The Smiths every time we see them. There's an abundance of turtle necks and skivvies on stage as the five-piece shake and shimmy to their brand of '80s-inspired indie-rock. The surf sounds of I Won't Wait are an early surprise, before the band delve into some new material from their upcoming album. But it's the anthemic sounds of Impact that have the crowd singing along to its stadium-ready chorus. For a moment there, amid the raised hands and sassy dance moves, it almost feels like these guys are the headliners.

However, Brisbane's own Ball Park Music have a presence that's hard to match. Taking to the stage without a word, the five-piece launch straight into older favourites Literally Baby and Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship With You as the underage section of the crowd nearly drowns them out with their singing from the balcony above. The group power through Ever Since I Turned The Lights On, one of their recent record's most frantic tracks, before lead singer Sam Cromack pulls shapes during the gleefully infantile Sad Rude Future Dude.

It's been said that songs should either be fast or sad and that the best ones are both; Ball Park seem to have an intuitive understanding of this golden rule as they slow things down afterwards for the melancholy: Surrender, Blushing, Coming Down and Leef. Cromack's bandmates then exit the stage temporarily, leaving him to perform a stripped-down rendition of It's Nice To Be Alive with an acoustic guitar. It's a pleasant change of pace, but the audience are well and truly ready for the louder material when the band return to join him in playing Whipping Boy and Fence Sitter. They turn things all the way up to 11 with Trippin' The Light Fantastic getting its own disco-ball lighting effects, while Pariah, She Only Loves Me When I'm There and Nihilist Party Anthem bring the set to a joyful finish.

However, the hometown audience welcome them back for an encore and we're treated to Harbour Of Lame Ducks, All I Want Is You and Cocaine Lion, the band as grateful to be back as we are to have them.