Live Review: Blindspot, Nerdlinger, Them Sharks, Castle Bravo, Two For Flinching

First to grace the stage were up-and-comers Two For Flinching, who fit the bill nicely with their energetic brand of '90s pop-punk with a nice dash of rock'n'roll. Standout bass lines from beastly bassist Leigh Stearne kicked the night off with a punch.

You know you are in for a good night when a band as great as Castle Bravo are second on the bill. Having been kicking around the scene for a few years now, there are few bands that can match their tightness and songwriting prowess. Singer Todd Fishwick truly has one of the best voices on the local scene as the band knocked out one of the stand out performances of the night.

Feeling somewhat overdressed for the occasion (as in, wearing a shirt) the crowd swelled nicely for local legends and all 'round nice guys Them Sharks. The band skilfully navigated through a set filled with great riffs and crafty songs. It's easy to throw comparisons to Sublime and Barrington Levy around but Them Sharks really do bring their own interpretation to a much loved genre.

Nerdlinger came all the way from the eastern states and we were all better for it. Seasoned pros, they wasted no time banging out the hits, with the entire venue in the palm of their hand. Drummer Michael Cannings simply destroyed the drums, laying down the perfect base for a '90s punk set honouring heroes like Lagwagon and Bodyjar.

The ease with which Blindspot's Ben Swain and Az Scene churn out perfectly harmonised vocals while executing guitar and bass alike is truly baffling. Add to that heavy doses of hilarious banter and catchy as hell punk rock songs and you have an idea of who the band are. It was party time and a great party was had. There wasn't a shirt in sight as the stage was stormed and backing vocals were added by the drunken men and women of the punk rock scene.