Live Review: Scott and Charlene's Wedding, Blank Realm, Early Woman

Melbourne-based duo Hannah Brooks and Ben Montero, aka Early Woman, are fashionably late to the stage tonight – a mishap that seems to work in their favour, as the majority of the crowd are trickling in just in time to catch their set. With the pair donning matching floral kaftans, they spark a moody and enigmatic vibe from behind their keyboards, thanks to melancholic, wailing vocals, a nonchalant stage presence and eerie synth contributions. While their sound definitely warrants further listening, overall their performance falls a little flat and struggles to hold attention for the entirety of the set.
While Early Woman's set leaves many scratching their heads, hometown heroes Blank Realm leave no room for confusion with their hard-hitting and thoroughly entertaining blend of garage-indie-punk-rock. For the first few songs, the drummer takes the role of frontman, creating a frenetic buzz with his energetic antics. As he then takes his place behind the drums, each band member is given the opportunity to shine, with keyboardist Sarah Spencer's constant and ferocious head-banging acting as a particular highlight. What the band give in energy is returned by the audience, who lap up the performance with insatiable delight – one happy-go-lucky punter even finds their way on stage for a boogie with the band, which is always an entertaining spectacle.    
The celebratory holiday spirit has truly set in by the time headliners Scott And Charlene's Wedding take the stage, and while they may not pack the same punch as the previous act, it's clear the group are out for a bit of laidback fun with the launch of their latest album, Any Port In A Storm. The set begins with the album's opener, Junk Shop, which draws a tight and eager flock of fans to the front of the stage, as well as some tentative toe-tapping towards the back. As the group plough through tracks Lesbian Wife, 1993 and Fakin' NYC among others, the energy unfortunately fades once again, with technical issues and lacklustre banter plaguing the set. While a few dedicated fans try to propel the set with some singalong moments, it's disappointing that the band seem content to deliver a mediocre performance, despite their surrounding hype. The only real highlight comes in the form of Jackie Boy, more so because of the outstanding songwriting and guitar work found within the track than because of anything special in the performance. The songs from Any Port In A Storm are good enough to leave punters with a smile on their face, however a little more energy in the delivery would have taken the set to a whole new level.