Live Review: Born Lion, FOAM, The Disappointed

It seems that Perth's love of live music is only trumped by its love of football. With a Dockers preliminary final on, Jimmy's Den was a near ghost town for Born Lion's Perth stop. This was quite disappointing as the Sydney four-piece put on quite the show for the smattering of punters who turned up.

The first support slot was filled by The Disappointed, a band who mixes alt-rock sounds with a pop sensibility. Frontman Michael Strong did an impressive Brian Molko impression, but not even the Placebo frontman would be brave enough to wear a silk My Little Pony shirt on stage. Their set was a little too loose; though visually there was an interesting dynamic with Strong playing the manic frontman role while the rest of the band was quite subdued in the back.

'Tight jeans, long hair and thrashing guitars' is how you'd describe Perth grunge'n'roll act FOAM in a nutshell. The set was at full kilter from the get go, with the three-piece ignoring the emptiness of the room and giving a tight performance. They seemed to choose tracks on the fly, with banter limited to a quick discussion between songs on what to play next. A great set from a great local act.

Finally Born Lion took to the stage. And Jesus, could these guys play a room. They have a sound that could only be described as rebellion rock with a punk attitude. One can only imagine what they're like in front of a full crowd. The band took full advantage of the empty room by jumping off-stage and running around, mics and guitars in tow. It was a set that definitely focused on their debut album, which translates perfectly for the stage. The whole set from D For Danger through to the radio favourite Good Times Jimmy was 45 minutes of fun.