Live Review: Calling All Cars, Strangers, Arts Martial - Annandale Hotel

There are a lot of little changes happening around the Annandale at the moment and it's a pretty heartening sight. It's bands like the three playing on this bill that would miss the Annandale the most. But when a group such as Calling All Cars is in full flight in front of a revved-up Friday night crowd, the Annandale really is Sydney's rock'n'roll heartland.

Young band Arts Martial played pretty standard rock similar to bands such as Bodyjar and at times even like older Aussie rockers Midnight Oil. With singer Jarrod Ross' vocals mixed quite low it was hard to connect to some of the songs, but as the band gains experience and confidence they could well be one to watch.

Strangers have had plenty of experience. They lifted the energy levels in the room considerably, mixing in hints of glam with their frenetic stylings. There was a theatricality to the band that was appreciated by the hometown crowd.

This was Calling All Cars' last tour before they concentrate on writing their third album and it was their first Sydney show since lead singer Haydn Ing was knocked out after jumping into the crowd during the band's appearance at the Big Day Out.

Not letting that curtail the show he put on, Ing didn't take long to venture down the long Annandale bar to play guitar to the back of the room. The kind of frontman that rarely stands still, Ing had to battle technical difficulties with his microphone but still managed to give the show an air of unpredictability – the kind that used to make rock'n'roll so exciting.

Of course all that only works when a lead singer has the support of the other guys in his band and with brother James an absolute powerhouse behind the kit and Adam Montgomery weaving his bass lines tightly around Haydn's muscley guitar riffs, the foundations for this live set were just as solid as Haydn's jagged new blonde do was flashy.

Calling All Cars have developed an impressive rock'n'roll show and it sets a pretty good precedent for album number three.