Food CourtSydney up-and-comers Polish Club kicked off the night with their White Stripes-esque tune, Did Somebody Tell Me.
The established-sounding duo made more noise than you’d think two guys with a guitar and drum kit could, and had the audience keenly listening in to their heavy blend of indie rock. But the main pull for this band is the lead’s voice. A howling growl reminiscent of The Black Keys, Pajak’s roaring tones are more suited to a stadium than an intimate gig like the Newtown Social Club. His dynamic performance was a real winner though, and it was great to see some variation from the usual stock-standard indie rock bands on the scene. Forging forward with only five strings on the guitar (the sixth one snapped in the second last song) Polish Club ended with Able – their strongest track of the night, driving and lyrically simple, that echoed early Kings Of Leon.
Overall, there was a lot of reverb, and you couldn’t really hear much melody from the guitar – it was difficult to differentiate between the songs. But after supporting the likes of Courtney Barnett and playing Come Together last weekend, you can expect big things from this Sydney duo.
Upskirts were on in the middle, bringing their psych vibes to an otherwise pretty upbeat and intense gig. Covering Sexy Boy by Air, they had the crowd relatively enthralled until the off-sounding harmonies and dense pedals and effects.
Food Court had everyone up front and dancing in the first song, a welcome burst of energy after the seriousness of the first two acts, instantly getting everyone’s attention. Busting out crowd favourites like On The River, Not Enough and ending with Going Home and 14 Years Young, it’s clear that they were the favourite of the night.
