Live Review: Rolls Bayce, The Ninjas, Varsity

Curious afternoon listens on the web did no justice to the genuine article of Varsity – the trio are bigger, brasher and far more tight than you’d originally pin them for.

Diminutive frontman Dion Shaw seems to grow in stature with every solid riffs, and his vocal tone and delivery suggests an Aussie Alex Turner at work. That Fake Tales Of San Francisco vibe is only stretched further with the frenzied time keeping of Blair Westbrook, who bloodies eardrums early with his nihilistic ways.

A 20-minute Sailor Jerry break later, and a rough start makes you fear The Ninjas are going to be searching for that special something all night; however, the guys begin to make it count during the second track, and it’s all gravy from there. Josh Stewart and Pat Ferris make their shouty choruses stick together – and when Ferris chooses to shred, he’s fucking unforgiving on his six-string. There are sections of raucousness, but they’re balanced with really smart, timeless, rock’n’roll pop. The tambourine makes an appearance, and many laugh at the joy of being nice and stoned. By the set’s conclusion, everyone has a reason to clap their hands and say yeah – not just the parent posse enjoying their bad selves around the lounges.

Like they were in Hungry Kids, the strengths of Rolls Bayce are centred on McGrath.

Two-minutes of lucid indie pop works like a siren’s song, bringing the beer garden faithful drifting into the main room to hear the sweet sounds of headliners Rolls Bayce. Awful name aside, the trio – featuring ex-Hungry Kids Of Hungary frontman Dean McGrath and former Millions player James Wright – already have this shit dialled down, opening with a pair of cool jams, Arrows and Mutate, from their debut four-track from last year, before having a crack at a new jam, which, for all the awkward smirks on stage, sounds pretty damn good.

Like they were in Hungry Kids, the strengths of Rolls Bayce are centred on McGrath – the crafty guitar play and robust, assured vocals. And like Hungry Kids, these elements are made stronger by a backline that do exactly what the songs need – getting flashy when it’s called for, and settling on a nice rolling bedrock when it’s time to spiral the leads out. Don’t Get Me Wrong is digestible psych of the highest order, the three-piece fleshing it out flawlessly, while On My Own gets the front rows shaking their hair down. Rolls Bayce then send us home with a morphing, multi-tiered tune of epic proportions – sectioning the track with an effortlessness that makes today’s news of a national headline tour all the more exciting.