Live Review: Rolo Tomassi, Belle Haven, Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys, Tiger Can Smile, St Judes

With a two day mini-festival happening just minutes down the road, the competition was certainly tough for the five bands playing tonight to draw a sizeable crowd to this exquisite event. Nevertheless, the general rule of quality versus quantity was definitely applicable and ultimately a victory on this night.

St Judes were a band rather unknown to this scribe. This quartet are funny, high spirited, social and strangely charming, and to say they're a diverse punk band would be an understatement. At times, St Judes channelled post-hardcore from the Make Do & Mend end of the genre. At others, St Judes threw in a Rancid-esque curveball song, and even broke out a mandolin and performed like Flogging Molly's younger sibling outfit. Then, to really baffle the enthusiastic audience, St Judes performed an acoustic country track that would've made Hank Williams proud. Pirate Song was the standout and should be used for a rum commercial, however the whole eccentric package was simply a magnificent beginning.

Tiger Can Smile were another odd choice of support, with a more pop-fuelled punk formula, but there is a lot of value in variance at a concert and TCS are very accomplished at what they do. Pacific Rim was so unbelievably catchy there is no doubt that numerous attendees were still singing the chorus. Hopefully the three-piece can play some larger-scale shows soon to really promote their talent.

There was a wave of deja vu in the form of Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys (just 24 hours prior the quintet were in the exact same place doing the exact same thing). But lightening can strike twice and this was an experience well-worth repeating. The five-piece injected a massive and much-needed dose of venom into the venue through their frantic punk, something Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys accomplished with a stunning level of finesse. New song Fedora Destroyer captivated the growing number of patrons in the room and hopefully the band can release some new music very soon.

Melbourne's Belle Haven were here to prove a point and literally seconds into their opening song Hunt For Health, they made it; it was time for chaos. Each member of this post-metalcore five-piece throw themselves into their live performance with no regard for personal safety and it is superb to witness. The intensity boosted exponentially and the quintet's attack on stage was similar to watching a pack of lions take down a buffalo. BH pumped the brakes for their Saosin-inspired ballad The Looking Glass, which, although not fluid in its timing during their performance, was a well-earned rest. However, the show fired up again with Closet, which incited havoc with mosh ninjas taking over the floor and singalongs deafening the crowd. This is the last tour the band are doing in support of their Everything Ablaze album, so hopefully new music is on the horizon.

Finally the main act and the anticipation for the UK's Rolo Tomassi was beyond palpable; excitement literally overpowered the small-but-eager audience. Approaching the stage from the dancefloor area, RT were instantly at one with Adelaide and ready to give their all. Estranged, Raumdeuter, Ex Luna Scientia, Oh Hello Ghost, The Embers, Prelude III (Phantoms), Opalescent, Empiresk, Stage Knives, Funereal and All That Has Gone Before made up the setlist but, truthfully, the entire performance was a haze of frenzied beauty. The vocal interplay between Eva and James Spence has a chemistry that is without limits and the mathcore blueprint that the five-piece continues to perfect is above surreal — almost fictional in its execution and from out of this world. Eva's hypnotising cabaret stage movements were accentuated by her ferocious bark.

We've heard new music is in the works for RT. Truth be told, if the producers of Stranger Things don't add Rolo Tomassi to the soundtrack, it would be criminal.