Live Review: Our Man In Berlin, Flower Drums

There was plenty of love in the air on Friday night at Amps as an all-local line-up took to the stage to celebrate alt-rockers Our Man In Berlin's homecoming EP launch, the band having spent the last couple of weeks showcasing it around the country.

Teij took to the stage early for what was the first live performance from the full band and while singer Tahlia Beeson expressed her nervousness before playing, the room was quickly captivated by some of the most belting vocals ever heard up on that stage. The band's swanky blues instrumentation complemented the gutsy attitude coming through in Beeson's voice perfectly — there's no denying the group have a heap of potential.

Beach Aunty kept the good vibes high; their cheeky, sun-soaked rock would slot in perfectly alongside the likes of Sticky Fingers, and the enthusiasm in both performance and stage banter kept everyone on their toes, dancing and laughing along with the newcomers.

Flower Drums changed up the tempo with their dreamy electronic pop, most tracks coming from their new EP, 28 Mansions. Opening track Bad Websites is a hell of a tune, Leigh Craft's vocals oozing over steady percussion. The whole set was a wonderful concoction of warm, hazy beats, exemplified by Craft's enthusiastic dance moves, which took him all over the stage.

It was a great build-up to Our Man In Berlin's set, and all of a sudden there was a rather large crowd filling out the room. The headliners were in full momentum after their successful trip over east, but were keen to keep the suspense up by playing a few older tracks to begin the set, including Flight and Spilt Milk, before launching into Spirit Down, the title track of their new EP, which encapsulates the band's signature melancholic sound, complete with swirling vocals and ambient electronica. Moliere felt like a rush in a great way, the beat wonderfully infectious and getting people swaying around, while the rockier riff in new track, Bones, had heads bobbing along in purposeful unison. The energy of the band continued to grow throughout the set, and they looked ready to party late into the night as they closed with Cirrhosis. All up, it was a fantastic evening for local music.