Live Review: Imogen Brave, Skythief, Pink Noise Generator

Since Crown & Sceptre reintroduced itself as a heavyweight venue in Adelaide's thriving music scene two years ago, the southbound bar has been home to a stockpile of rousing nights and solid showcases of local talent — this particular Saturday night being no exception. Cruising in to the fog-filled bar at the start of the night meant you'd be met with pop-rock quintet Pink Noise Generator, who appeared to take significant influence from Prince's more upbeat tunes and fused it with guitar-driven indie-pop. Frontman Mat Vecchio mesmerised the crowd with his active performance, showing that the stage was his territory as he bounced around both on and off stage. It was clear that the 30-minute slot wasn't enough for the band's fans, as they comically hissed and booed and called out for an encore. There's no blaming them, however — the set was tight, and it felt as though it was over way too soon.

The intermission brought a flock of fans for Skythief, who, judging by the crowd's outfits, would be blasting the room with a heavy dose of unrelenting hard-rock. The first note of the half-hour set sent a wave of energy through the room, as the band's fans kicked into gear and made the room their own. Skythief appeared to be a band of musicians who've used music to fuel their lifeblood for the past few years. Their ability to work alongside one another so fluidly while at the same time performing in their own space was seriously impressive. Vocalist Adam Barnett-Pierce was quite obviously at a professional level as a performer, and while you couldn't really hear the lyrics, he still made his performance entertaining as a whole. Skythief are a band who could fill an opening slot of a national headliner and be just about on par with performance quality.

Headliner and girl-fronted Imogen Brave closed out the night with a powerful set, blending powerful rock characteristics from bands like Van Halen and Foo Fighters with an in-your-face vocal style like a more badarse version of Hayley Williams. Frontwoman Stef Crowley was hypnotising to watch, as though she'd performed the same set hundreds of times. Every transition — between songs, between verses — there was such a natural change in energy that it brought a whole new dimension to the songs, magnified by the unfaltering complements from the backing band.