Live Review: Die! Die! Die!, Royal Blood, The Grand Scheme

Local band The Grand Scheme kick off proceedings, throwing themselves into it with a bevy of tracks that show a lot of verve and confidence. The four-piece are tight and definitely embrace what they do, with their guitar and drum solos combining with tracks like Rockin' The Block as clear tips of the hat to '80s cock rockers everywhere, yet their bravado is incongruous with the small size of the crowd in attendance.

Two-piece rabble-rousers Royal Blood rip into an incredibly short set due to a late starting time, yet seem determined to set the place on fire. Eschewing the guitar in place of the bass, Michael Kerr is a tour de force, offering thunderous bass lines and a howl that threatens to make heads explode, whilst on drums Matt Swan is ferocious, never once allowing the momentum to abate. Standouts include Hole and Figure It Out, and the duo's penchant for noise and swagger mirrors Japandroids without the polish and celebratory rock. That is a good thing – Royal Blood feed off frenzy and mayhem, and leave the stage suitably sated.

There used to be a time when NZ noise-makers Die! Die! Die! were a veritable mainstay on stages littered around Brisbane, but it's been a few years since the Dunedin-based trio have made their presence known. Coming off a self-imposed hiatus and with new bassist Michael Logie (The Mint Chicks) in tow, there is trepidation as to how the band will fare. But from the opening moments of feedback wail piercing the speakers, all fears are abated. Frontman Andrew Wilson strangles his guitar, gets up on the foldback with arms flailing, pushing the audience into wilder throes of abandon before jumping amongst them himself. They race through an electric set that is littered with takes from new record Harmony, an album that complements their live aesthetic, and it's clear from the onset that the band is revitalised; nothing has been tempered. Drummer Michael Prain is a veritable maelstrom, the perfect dynamic counterpoint to Wilson's brilliant guitar. Oblivious Oblivion is suitably frantic, while Harmony and Changeman leading into Trinity show the added sense of melody that's become another dimension to these new tracks. And whilst the sound is fuller than ever before, their abrasive leanings are always at the centre of things, never more evident when older material in the form of Out Of The Blue and excellent closer Ashtray Ashtray are wielded out. The trio leaves the stage drenched with sweat, once again pouring their being into the live performance. It's good to have them back.