Live Review: In The Pines

Previous editions of RTRFM's In The Pines festival showcased an incredibly diverse mix of incredible local talent ranging from up-and-coming acts to industry legends. This year (the festival's 23rd) was no different, with an incredibly diverse line-up of 20 of Perth's best performing across two stages under the shade of Somerville Auditorium.

After a brief speech by Barry McGuire that acknowledged the traditional owners of the land, the first act of the day was Merindas who performed like a classic '60s girl group complete with sequinned costumes. Mixing incredible Motown harmonies and well crafted songwriting, the group provided a nice chilled start to the day as folks shuffled in and started covering the floor in picnic blankets while going off to grab a beer or order some food from one of the pop-up food trucks.

After that it was punk rock five-piece HUSSY led by charismatic frontwoman Shin who helped get the crowd energised before The Pissedcolas arrived to thrash out some heavy psychedelic rock. The Wheelers Of Oz continued on with some jangly '60s-influenced jams complete with tambourine and Vox organ. New song Time Passes On got a great response from the crowd who had now started to accumulate around the front of the stage.

Local singer-songwriter Jacob Diamond delivered an impressive, tightly woven set of originals plus a few new songs, which featured some nice laidback jazz-infused guitar work driven by an upbeat rhythm.

Jazz outfit Fat Sparrow continued the trend with some great brass-infused jazz tracks including the superbly titled Junkie Stole My Clarinet about a band member's instrument being stolen in Northbridge. After this, Skullcave cranked things up to 11 on their huge amp stacks and decimated the crowd with their epic set of thrashing post-metal tracks.

After the set it was announced a couple were getting married on the other side of the street, resulting in Benjamin Witt starting his soundcheck with a rendition of Here Comes The Bride on electric guitar. Draped in a green jacket with dyed blonde hair, Witt delivered an upbeat set of smooth, electronic-influenced originals from his upcoming album Future Reset with the Benjamin Witt Band. Local songstress Hayley Beth's new project HEEBIEJEEBIES got dark and psychedelic with songs from her upcoming album, which combined rich harmonies with some heavy electronic percussion and spacey synthesisers.

Verge Collection arrived to a receptive audience, mixing duelling guitars with infectious riffs that helped get people energised and dancing with tight performances of Feel Bad Songs and Our Place. An energetic performance by outfit Davey Craddock & The Spectacles saw the local band deliver a solid set of folk-influenced rock that included live staples Keep On Waiting and Better Alone along with new tracks like Peaceful Bay.

Helta Skelta dropped some heavy punk tunes from their second album Beyond The Black Stump that kept the track partying before the audience were treated to the ethereal sounds of Joni In The Moon featuring some standout work from Joni Hogan. Local legends Turnstyle were up next, delivering their unique brand of infectious indie-rock tracks before Radarmaker marked their first show in seven years with an impressive set of tracks from their back catalogue.

A huge crowd gathered for Tired Lion's set, with the hugely popular four-piece delivering a tight set of songs that got the crowd ready for punk legend Kim Salmon to perform his first set ever at the festival. Salmon delivered a great set of tracks that saw his impressive guitar work and vocals on display to the delight of the crowd.

Newly reformed Perth indie-rock outfit bucket showed they had lost none of their energy when they performed. Frontman Andrew Powell in fine form along with the rest of the band as they ploughed through a great set of tracks from their album Muddle. Unfortunately as the band finished their set, the heavens started to open up and the venue started getting drenched.

Luckily the weather didn't stop Peter Bibby and his band enticing the audience back to the stage for a frenetic set of punk-infused originals. Fans gathered in front of the stage and continued to dance before the mighty sounds of Grace Barbe Afro-Kreol came out on the other stage and delivered an incredible performance of infectious roots-pop that capped off a great night of local music.