The Northcote Social Club on the first day of spring 2012 may be far removed from New York City in 1964, but the influence of The Beatles-led British invasion is not. There is something distinctly British about each of the acts tonight.
Brisbane band Cub Scouts kick off proceedings. The most surprising thing about this band is that the singer is of legal drinking age. The band members are young, but their bubbly pop tunes belie their age. And apart from a few falsetto issues, the songs are well received. Glass Towers take the stage to a rapidly filling bandroom with slick guitars, big hair, skinny-leg jeans, fixed top buttons, leather jackets; are they not in fact The Wombats in disguise?
The word 'hype' is bandied about far too often when discussing new, up-and-coming acts, but Loon Lake are the very definition of the latest hype-band. Currently coming to the end of an East Coast run of predominately sold-out dates, the band are on the road to showcase their recently released second EP, Thirty Three. Loon Lake's contribution to the British-influenced evening comes in the form of The Kooks and just the right amount of The Cure.
Singer Sam Nolan's vocal performance is mixed, but when he is on it is a real treat. The consistency of delivery is sometimes lost in the crossover from studio to live arena and unfortunately this is evident in a couple of songs. Having said that, Nolan is an engaging frontman, a country lad who wouldn't be out of place as a brickie's labourer.
The rolling Bad To Me is a standout but the encore is the clear winner of the night. After two chords of single Cherry Lips, the crowd is in handclap mode and an audience that has been anticipating this all night joins Nolan on vocal duties. Assuming that would be the last song, a cover of The Darkness' I Believe In A Thing Called Love is both surprising and excellent. Nolan's Justin Hawkins impersonation is nigh-on pitch perfect, which is no mean feat.
Almost 50 years after The Beatles touched down in New York to take over the world, tonight is evidence that British pop music is still thriving.
