Live Review: Gold Class, Dianas, No Local

The Night Cat presents an accommodating-yet-intimidating venue for the acts performing tonight as the 360-degree stage offers no respite from the audience's gaze.

Melbourne duo No Local are first to wrangle the space, vocalist Liam 'Snowy' Halliwell and drummer Zac Denton filling the room with the indie-pop sounds from their release earlier this year. The two are known for their previous work together in The Ocean Party and Ciggie Witch, from which they draw noticeable influence in this new project. Two tracks in and Snowy pulls out his saxophone, infusing their performance with surprising vigour.

Dream-pop outfit Dianas then kick off their set. Caitlin Moloney's vocals intertwine powerfully with Nathalie Pavlovic's as they conjure potent layers of sound. Pavlovic's bass is mastered with steadfast energy, gripping the songs together as she oscillates between moments of fierce riffs and gentle strums. The outfit is rounded out by Anetta Nevin on drums, and these three players navigate skilfully around the skirts of their genre through bold and dexterous experimentation with surfy tempos, fat riffs and dreamy vocals.

Punters draw to all sides of The Night Cat's stage as Gold Class enter in an assortment of black bomber jackets and jeans. The show opens with Jon Shub's steady bass from their Drum album's closing number, Lux. Following on is a track from their earlier It's You release and crowd favourite Life As A Gun is delivered by Adam Curley from atop the stage barriers. The consuming performance has a short interval as some new drumsticks are fetched for Logan Gibson after he somehow ditches his own. Curley takes this moment to talk to the audience about the huge year the band has had and how grateful they are to be "surrounded here with so many friends". Even those among us who don't know the band on a personal level still feel oddly flattered.

With new sticks and dynamism reinstalled the band kick off again. The brooding urgency of Curley's vocals are given space during Mercurian, where aspects of the group intermingle with gentleness. The set is delivered with unwavering and concentrated intensity. There's no room for antics as each member plays their part in this incredibly solid performance. There's a sense of unruly defiance about the contents of Drum, which seeps through the band's robust set.

The show draws to a close with Twist In The Dark as the four-piece tighten their grip one last time during this achingly immersive gig. As they exit the stage, the audience emerge from their post-punk stupor.