Live Review: Songs, Blank Realm, Scraps

2013's sustained inclement weather threatens to keep people off the streets, but enough souls venture out early to catch yet another inspired Scraps set at the Spring Hill Hotel's upstairs Primitive Room. Laura Hill continues to develop as a musician, as the first half of the set displays. Whilst the added swathe of synth lends a considered sheen and lysergic beauty to Hill's tunes, it's her confidence as a performer that is justly expressed tonight. Sure, the skronky lo-fi Casio pop that Hill is renowned for is still well and truly in check, but these further flourishes add depth and stretch boundaries – the evolution of Scraps continues.

Kicking off with the motorik growl of Pendulum Swing (which fits well with the headline act), Blank Realm let loose on an excellent, elongated four track set that perfectly displays why the four-piece are the best band Brisbane has to offer at the moment. Whilst not as grimy or exploratory as their earlier, psych-fuelled days, the track shows that the band knows their way around a Kraut-rock sonic mantra. This segues into the blazed malaise of Cleaning Up My Mess, which then disintegrates into the diseased, serrated Acting Strange, all projectile spit and wanton leer. Preferring to end on a classic rock bent, their set then ends far too quickly, the crowd out of breath but begging for more.

Four years on since releasing their debut record, Sydney's Songs return with a second LP Malabar under their arm and new members in the wings. This sabbatical and shift in personnel may be why tonight's set feels uninspired. Although the opening track (with added flute), starting out an astral country twang before morphing into a psych jam that at least sounds energised, such connections don't always present themselves. It isn't that the new bandmates are less proficient than their predecessors – Cameron Emerson-Elliott (formerly of Youth Group) proves to be an inspired guitarist, with the occasional fret-tapping lending some flourishes, whilst Ben James is economical in driving the band forward. The mainstays are also fine – Ela Stiles has slight vocal issues to begin with but inhabits the stage without much duress, whilst Max Doyle's vocals and guitar-playing are crisp. Yet there isn't as much of a bond between band and crowd tonight, and whilst new songs like The Country unite motorik tendencies with Besnard Lakes-esque melodies and sonic sojourns, there is little of the energy that ignited past Songs shows. In the end, a perfunctory set – all the pieces are in place, yet something is still missing tonight, which is a shame.