Live Review: Strawberry Boogie

The latest instalment of Strawberry Boogie - a monthly event organised by the young Wollongong locals at Strawberry Visions - continued its celebration of Wollongong's creative culture last Thursday night by showcasing live art exhibitions set up by local creatives, while a smorgasbord of bands brought in from across the country performed to liven up the 'Gong with the best in upcoming music.

Cosmic Spice kicked things off in style with their signature mix of jazz and pop. Every member of the seven-piece band, including two tenor sax players, got their chance to perform lavish solos with extreme professionalism in between crooning vocal lines.

Accompanied by a backing track and a dancing grim reaper, referred to as 'Mr Grim' (we kid you not), Iffy put on what was easily the most memorable performance of the evening. While Mr Grim patrolled the crowd taking pictures, Iffy's rendition of silky smooth pop track Fuck The Police proved the Sydney artist has musical prowess hiding behind the Marilyn Manson-esque get-up. With all these odd thematic novelties spilling over into the crowd, it was Iffy's charismatic presence of mind that brought these gimmicks together to form an enjoyable set.

Local Leisure Coast rockers Archy Punker felt right at home as their grungy tunes escalated to heavy breakdowns. The quartet kept a tight, fast-paced set, all the while sharing cheeky grins, with the momentum paying off in non-stop boogying and head banging from the crowd. This built up nicely to their final track Kiss In The Rain.

Welcomed by a packed crowd, Jarrow eased into their set with mellow indie-rock tunes - none more so than their infectious jam James Impala, which got an early spin. The Melbourne outfit branched out from these feel-good tracks, diving into garage rock territory with their latest track Cody. Like all the acts before them, these guys were warmly received by a relaxed and positive crowd, helping to turn a good show into a great one.

"If we didn't live in Brisbane we'd definitely live in Wollongong," headliners Good Boy confessed. For a night celebrating Wollongong's thriving creative culture, this news was warmly received as the trio backed up this enthusiasm with raucous danceable tunes. The thick Aussie slang in Rian King's vocal delivery for Ya Mum's Ya Dad helped to kick up the energy of their set but not without consequences; King urgently asked punters for some water later in the set as his relentless singing threatened to give out. Thankfully, he persisted as the band played their set to completion with Punch To The Gut - topping off a splendid night of eclectic acts and ending on an energetic high note.