Live Review: Boom! Bap! Pow!, The Caballeros, Flyball Gov’nor, Turin Robinson

Jimmy’s Den was a comfortable setting for the Heartbreak Ball because it’s such a small space. First to break people’s hearts with his dark acoustic and dramatic vocal timbre was Turin Robinson. His really smooth Australian accent and mellow guitar strumming style was relaxing and brought the growing crowd some cool ambience as the photo shoot was underway and the small bar was being overtaken by drink orders. He’s a brilliant writer and has a good sense of humour. With a QOTSA-esque alt-rock vibe, Flyball Gov’nor broke out straight into some rocking tunes. Their pace was great and Mel Anastas’ vocals were incredibly solid. They had some funny moments with Anastas bringing out some castanets and tiny cymbals, while Jayga McMullen smashed the drums in her hip sleeveless tux. They played some cool, memorable songs, including Paracetamol, Pina Colada and the eerie Sarah Kane, about a writer who struggled with her ambitions and took her own life.

Smart dressers The Caballeros showed off their taste in classic rock’n’roll music and reeled in the crowd with frontman Jake “Dr Green” England’s charismatic antics. The whole show was full of great lines that’ll be the topic of conversation for the next couple of days, among them “Is there a Julie here? No? Anyone here’s name start with a J? Your name is Jake too? Stop stealing my name, Jake!” They opened up by introducing themselves with the thought-evoking description ‘wet, wild and tasty’, then continued to create for our audible experience just what they’d stated. Their rock’n’roll and blues-influenced style created a really energetic and danceable atmosphere. They covered Twist & Shout, Dr Green pointing out that “if you can’t dance to this song, then there’s something wrong with your legs.” The much-suited Boom! Bap! Pow! believed they were the perfect contenders for the Heartbreak Ball because their set list is full of melodramatic be-bop clichés. The five-piece have a strong reputation for making their shows super fun and they did just that with their theatrical nature. They opened with a cover of Link Wray’s Rumble and also did a mean cover of The Kinks’ All Day & All Of The Night, then played their soul hits, helping make it a really enjoyable night.