Live Review: Gignition: The Cold Acre, The Insinnerators, Tall Poppy Syndrome, Mat Cammarano

Four local bands set the Swan Basement on fire last Sunday night for Drum Media's Gignition series, once again proving how much talent our little town holds. Matt Cammarano started the night's proceedings with his Jeff Buckley-inspired tunes. Some lengthy technical difficulties didn't help in calming the musician's nerves, but as the set went on his confidence visibly increased. The set list included originals such as Bless This Mess and The Coldest Winter, and Matt's lyrically poetic earnestness shone through. Finishing with a cover of The Beatles' Don't Let Me Down, the set showed plenty of potential. Tall Poppy Syndrome lifted the mood to 11 with their brand of Aussie pub rock-meets British punk. Some more technical difficulties had the band declaring “In the spirit of rock'n'roll, the show must go on!” Tall Poppy Syndrome had some cool moves and were visibly enjoying themselves, which the audience fed off. Songs like The Martians Are Coming highlighted the band's tongue-in-cheek attitude and high-energy nature.

Three-piece with a difference, The Insinnerators instantly impressed with a set-up that features a double bass and a drummer who stands up… Sure, why not! Strong vocals, upbeat tunes and fun back-up vocals from the drummer had the girls running up-front to have a dance. A few technical hiccups made the vocals and double bass inaudible at times, but when the sound was fixed the band was able to rock out and bring some rockabilly punk goodness to the Basement. The Cold Acre then rounded off the night with their grunge-inspired melodic rock. They oozed confidence and were clearly giving it their all. Lie To Yourself showed off the vocal talents of lead singer Del B and bassist Rich Moloney. The Cold Acre most definitely wear their miscellaneous '90s rock influences on their sleeves (literally: Moloney had a Nirvana shirt on). This is all well and good, but the band shouldn't be afraid of creating their own sound.