Live Review: Olivers Army, Max Savage & The Fake Idols, The Skeleton Club, Thom Lion - Pirie & Co. Social Club

Still working his way through sound-check, Thom Lion began his pleasantly upbeat acoustic set with Mutual Agreement. He kept a good pace for the small, yet attentive crowd leading into Spattered Words, Tax Time and the triple j favourite, Folk Divorce.

The kicker was his cover of Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time. A valiant attempt at a playful song, Thom confessed his voice gave out partway through. High notes or not, it closed the clever songwriter's performance nicely.

The Skeleton Club was up next with a stand-out performance. Opening with a Latin-influenced tune, the five-piece went from strength to strength, proving their musical diversity with every song. The duo of frontmen complemented each other exceptionally well as the low, almost raspy Nick Vasic was perfectly balanced by brother Tom Vasic's smooth, vocal projections, while guitarist Toby Brandenburg and bassist Ryan Hutcheson added noticeable depth with their back-up harmonising. Latin turned country as the seemingly coy group delivered a phenomenal set that wandered from South America to the Southern United States with surprising dancy Blues II and Won't Be Long. It was a tantalising tapas for the eardrums on a rainy Saturday evening.

Another audio delight was Max Savage & The False Idols. If you closed your eyes, you'd have been immediately teleported to a dusty Western bar, clutching a whiskey neat on a steaming hot day. Raw, gnarly and bleeding more heartache than the day your dog died, Max Savage sang his lungs out to a rather inattentive crowd. Unfazed, the trio charged on with pride in true cowboy style filling the room with country rock songs of bittersweet sorrow.

Olivers Army pulled the biggest crowd of the night for the launch of their new single, Born To Breed. Perhaps it was the result of following three terrifically fervent acts, but they came off a little lacklustre. Todd Oliver, twin brother of frontman Ryan Oliver, made a cameo that piqued a bit of interest. That was followed by Ryan and keyboardist Gina Somfleth tossing Olivers Army-stickered condoms to the audience as a branded gag gift. Arms Around Your Lover was pleasantly dancier with Nothing Ever Really Stays The Same sounding a smidge like Mogwai in a basement bar. Overall the entire evening's bill was a solid exposition of sheer musical talent.