Varied lyrics and band names in exciting fonts wandered around the room on the backs and chests of Saturday night's music fans as Kingswood, a Melbourne-based band, played an energetic and gripping show at The Gov. The three band members, Fergus Linacre (lead singer/keys), Alexander Laska (vocals/guitar) and Justin Debrincat (drums) released their second studio album earlier this month and have now embarked on their After Hours, Close To Dawn national tour. They were joined on stage by backing vocalists, a saxophonist and trumpet player and the addition of the horns in particular, as well as the use of keyboards alternating with heavier guitar tones, made for an interesting, fresh line-up for this alt-rock band. The beat resonated in our chests, but we never felt overwhelmed by the band's sheer volume. Also worth mentioning was the lighting, which easily matched the energy of the band onstage and really enhanced the ambience in the room.

Through an amber wash, Linacre's keys and vocals started off the set with Looking For Love, the first track off the new album. Kingswood's performance was fast-paced, with catchy melodies and instrumental motifs. Highlights were the loud and in-your-face high-energy sections of the songs. The breakdowns were sometimes a little messier, exposing issues with harmony. Overall the backing vocals filled out the sound nicely, but in certain parts of the performance there seemed to be a disconnect between the underlying harmony of the song and the vocal notes underpinning the main melody. A couple of songs finished a cappella, which worked really well.

The band's set was very appealing. Creepin and Ohio immediately sounded familiar. In some instances, clear influences from well-known songs were noted: So Long sounds like Kings Of Leon's Use Somebody. Not only does Linacre have a similar-sounding voice to that of Caleb Followill, but the opening lines are also lyrically similar: "I was walking around" [So Long]/"I've been roaming around [Use Somebody]".

The interaction between band and audience felt impersonal at times and was limited to shouting out "Adelaaaaaide!". But this was overshadowed by Kingswood's great stage presence. Overall, quite an entertaining and dynamic show.