Live Review: Royal Artillery, Elko Fields, The Grand Union

At Frankie's we were treated to three rock acts, all with a different angle.

Local act, The Grand Union, started off fairly restrained. Lead singer, Stu Eastwood has a ripper of a voice, but it's when he and guitarist, Rohin Sharma, duelled with their guitar solos that the band really took off. There is a great synchronicity between the guitars and the solid bass and drum line which reached the pinnacle in the final track, Riders Of Dullahan. An exciting set from a promising band.

Drawing the biggest audience of the night, Brisbane's Elko Fields are really starting to make a name for themselves with their tight but dirty, high-energy performance. The duo of Kella Vee on guitar and ex-Medics drummer Jindhu Lawrie didn't hold back. You'd be excused for thinking that there were double the band members on stage. Vee's voice (once the levels were sorted) soared above her guitar, switching between delicate to rasping rock. The songs from their debut self-titled EP are all there, as was a storming cover of Deap Vally's Walk Of Shame. As the set continued, Lawrie's expert drumming reached fever pitch - abusing the cymbals and providing solid backing vocals to a stand-out rock show.

Also from up north, Royal Artillery round out the night with a high energy bluesy rock set. This is your more straight ahead old school rock that the Frankie's faithful lap up. Lead singer, Zed Charles, was irreverent, showy and arrogant on stage, but he let his guitar speak for him, shredding wildly and speaking loosely. A banging end to a solid night of long hair, loud music and rock poses.