Live Review: Oh Mercy, Millions, Split Seconds

Spring is in the air and the cool breeze wafting through The Zoo's windows is most welcome to the small crowd starting to trickle in. Kicking off the first night of the headliner's national tour are Perth five-piece Split Seconds. Having their debut You'll Turn Into Me lauded as a triple j Feature Album recently, there's a respectable amount of interest garnered and gathered before them as they launch into an upbeat set that's as fresh and enjoyable as it is near technically flawless. Frontman Sean Pollard leads his troupe through some back catalogue gems like the sweet acoustic strummer Bed Down as well as popular newbies Top Floor and All You Gotta Do. It's vibrant and sunny indie pop that channels the glory days of Brisbane's 1980s music scene, and hence goes down a treat.

A slight increase in numbers sees local boys Millions onstage, suited up in sharp and classy black. Pocket rocket leading man Dominic Haddad calls for everyone to get cosy and come closer, then hurls his four-piece into Champagne off their Nine Lives Six Degrees EP from earlier this year. It's astonishing the trajectory these young guys have found themselves on so soon after arriving on the scene, but with the suave execution of Haddad's Julian Casablancas/Alex Turner-like delivery, with those exquisite controlled wails, it's little wonder why the lads continue to incite increasing interest with each show. They work a solid and energetic set with faithful renditions of charming downbeat crooner Going Overseas and crowd favourite Slow Burner.

A fairly short setup brings Alex Gow and the rest of Oh Mercy onstage sooner than expected, the ever-colourful frontman sporting a gold silk bomber jacket with 'Deep Heat' emblazoned on the back. It's the title track from their latest and they get straight into it, a steady but tonally affected drum beat intro into cool chugging guitars, with Gow having fun with his egg shaker. The jacket doesn't hide his penchant for truly daggy shirts but an Oh Mercy show just wouldn't be the same without them. He smiles and bounces his way through an energetic mid-section, dishing out the big ensemble sounds of My Man, Pilgrim's Blues, and Labour Of Love with the help of additional touring members on keys and sax. Apart from getting a bit rattled when some rogue balloons get punched onstage, it's clear Gow couldn't be happier being anywhere else. He closes the set with current radio favourite Drums, nailing the higher vocal, returning to close with Great Barrier Grief's Stay Please Stay and State Trooper, grabbing guys from the support acts as well as from Hungary Kids Of Hungary and The John Steel Singers for a cacophonous percussive singalong.