Live Review: Luca Brasi, Moose Blood, The Hard Aches, Hyder Seek

Opener Hyder Seek were greeted by a growing number of ambitious fans for their early set mostly due to the band's ultra-talented singer Bec Stevens. The quartet play whiskey-soaked folk/alternative rock (they call it "sadcore"), which is rather mellow except for the bitter and vengeful lyrics that Stevens wholeheartedly wails. Unfortunately, after just the first song drummer Jayke Wilkinson exited the stage to vomit due to illness. Even after a quite extended delay, he did not return. Impressively the remaining three-piece soldiered on and it was spectacular. Armed With The Past was an explosion more than a song and it would seem that even without percussion, Hyder Seek have what it takes.

Next up was Ben David and his adored outfit The Hard Aches. This duo has ascended to punk-princedom and are deservedly making waves nationwide with their heavier After The Fall-meets-The Smith Street Band formula. Crowd-surfing was necessary for this eruptive performance as were the deafening singalongs to favourites such as Loser, Wide And Wired and I Get Like This. David is driven by charming Aussie politeness and his charisma reverberates, ultimately affecting his surrounds for the better. It wouldn't matter whether they played in a laundromat or at Laneway Festival, The Hard Aches always relieve the pain.

The only international act on the tour, UK's Moose Blood, entered the stage in a courteous fashion and may have been slightly taken aback by our eagerness. In a sense, Moose Blood were the odd band out, being more similar to Jimmy Eat World than Violent Soho, but this also made them much more memorable. Bukowski, Honey, Swim Down, Glow and Boston caused deafening singalongs and frequent crowd-surfers; however, the four-piece would be more suited to a headline spot in a more intimate venue than a support role. Fortunately Moose Blood will be back Down Under for the Unify Fest, so Australia will have an opportunity to enjoy their emotional rock again soon.

What an absolute marvel of a journey Tassie's favourite party punks Luca Brasi have undergone in the last two years or so; from supporting roles with iconic punk outfits like Bodyjar to now being able to sell-out large venues on their own — truthfully, it is more than deserved. A slightly shaky start for the math-indie-ocker-punk mates was quickly remedied and the quartet escalated to nearly untouchable. The anthems for this celebration rolled out maintaining outstanding momentum. Say It Back, Southbound, The Cascade Blues, Count Me Out and Aeroplane were highlights, but the whole concert was remarkable. The four-piece did not even need to leave the stage for their encore, they were REQUIRED to stay.