Live Review: Bitch Prefect, UV Race

There's a pretty nice vibe going at the Liberty Social tonight as the room is filled with friends, acquaintances and friends of friends. The members of Bitch Prefect moved from Adelaide to Melbourne, started and continued heaps of bands, stuck together, and now they are here to launch their debut LP, Big Time. Before they play, UV Race head to the corner of the room where the instruments are set up. Sometime during their set, frontman Marcus Rechsteiner thanks Bitch Prefect for giving them the chance to get the 'partay started', and that's exactly what is going on. Things are pretty raucous towards the front as the crowd fist pumps with the driving rhythm section and dance to the drone of the keyboard. Not one to let the momentum of the set slow in between songs, the jolly frontman fills the gaps with some casual banter. He shows off his fresh tat and seems surprised by the amount of girls dancing in the crowd. The six-piece whip through a quick and noisy set of literally lyricised tunes and look like they could have settled in for a long haul. But after guitarist Alistair Montfort joins Rechsteiner for a quick waltz over some heavy jamming, their set is over and they join their mates in the crowd.

Bitch Prefect get things underway with little fanfare, which sets the tone for their set. Scott O'Hara steps up the microphone and announces to the audiences “we're ready when you are”. Many punters are left to scramble to find a good position as the first song begins. Bitch Prefect take a no-thrills approach and it suits them just fine. The crowd are treated a set of songs from Big Time plus some old favourites such as Holiday In America from last year's EP. O'Hara and guitarist Liam Kenny swap vocal leads throughout the night and find effortless melody in everything they sing. A simple chord progression on one guitar is complemented by a deceptively simple run on the other, or alternatively a heavy load of noise. Their set is raw and by acknowledging and celebrating the negativity in life, Bitch Prefect hit a beautiful nerve. Every chorus and lumbering guitar solo finds the mark. The crowd have settled into a more relaxed space with everyone intent on catching every chord.

Bitch Prefect finish with single, Bad Decisions, an ode to just that. The crowd joins in for the sing-along chorus which is played enough times to ensure that those walking away from the night will have it stuck in their head for days. O'Hara mentions the LP is on sale for $20 and with that they're out.