Live Review: The Horrortones - Beetle Bar

Some people describe a scene is 'incestuous' when folk from local bands pop up in other bands together, but surely that's a sign of healthy community and camaraderie? Tonight's openers Lovely Legs certainly contain some familiar faces – notably Alex from Keep On Dancin's up front and Jeremy Neale from all the other Brisbane bands on drums – and the four-piece smash through a set of twangy, country-tinged garage rock, a cluster of songs thatare ragged but cruisy and melodic enough to be easily digestible on first listen.

Up next are another gang whose unity is one of their strengths, local punks Cannon. Does frontman Alex Griffin wear the same jacket and Hawaiian shirt every show? Who cares. The band seems completely on the same page tonight – not tight, because that would defeat the purpose, but definitely in sync – and the appreciative crowd totally digs the shouty, repetitive refrains of their all-too-brief songs, familiar numbers such as Girls and I Been U Been garnering the best reception.

The narrow Beetle Bar is becoming clogged as Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side make an all-too-rare appearance of late, delivering a typically suave and sultry set of melodramatic rock'n'roll. As always Ben Corbett is the centre of attention with his consummate bravado, but at times tonight guitarist Dylan McCormack proves that his brother's not the only one in the family with immense talent, while the engine room of Dan Baebler and Nick “Norto” Naughton keep things on an even keel. Older songs such as The Beginning Of The End run against tracks from last year's killer Magnetic Island set such as Suicide Machine, making one wonder why this band isn't a better known commodity.

Finally it's time for The Horrortones to bring the party to proceedings, and they do so with gusto, a protracted intro building and building until frontman Pete Collins enters the fray and smashes into the Oblivians' Feel Alright, the seven-piece band building in intensity with the horn section working overtime. They make songs such as King Khan & The Shrines' Saba Lou, The Dirtbombs' Your Love Belongs Under A Rock and Murder City Devils' insanely sleazy Boom Swagger Boom their own, the awesome song selection as much a part of the fun as the incendiary renditions on offer. Gentle Ben returns to smash out a duet of Your Pretty Face (Is Goin' To Waukeegan) by Blacktop (via Spencer P Jones), and eventually we get to the money part of proceedings where they air the tracks making up the triple seven-inch boxset being launched tonight, Bobby King's rollicking W-A-S-T-E-D bobbing up before Kate Jacobson from Texas Tea and Jacinta Walker from Tiny Migrants et al join on vocals and smash through a slew of songs including Mojo Hannah (Henry Lumpkin) and The O'Jays' awesome Livin' For The Weekend. Collins teases about a request for The Saints' Know Your Product, but they instead pay tribute by covering Ike & Tina's River Deep, Mountain High just like The Saints used to do it, before playing a brilliant version of Know Your Product anyway – it's arguably the best song ever to come out of Brisbane and they do it proud. It's messy now – on stage and off – and Jacobson and Walker return to the fray and help finish off a great night with Sam Cooke's awesome Shake. The Horrortones: like Brisbane's answer to The Commitments, except without the old chick magnet guy and not nearly as naff...