Live Review: Texas Tea, The Gin Club, The Madisons, James X. Boyd & The Boydoids

The Zoo is a haven for those who've managed to escape the Fiesta in The Valley tonight, furnished with a killer line-up of Brisbane talent. First up is James X. Boyd & The Boydoids, who starts proceedings with Goodnight, a sweet and languid cut off his recently-released EP. As the set proceeds more and more people trickle in to hear Boyd's direct observations and striking imagery (“I could hold my whole heart in my hands/just for one day”) layered over hazy instrumentals, and they'll be glad they did.

The Madisons are harnessing the sad summer spirit for this set, with Hawaiian shirts and songs about the love 'em and leave 'em types that dad warned you about. Songs about heartbreak are sung with a wink and a nudge, backed up by insanely catchy '60s pop and faux doo-wop keyboards, so that the set is fun and charming. If this is what 'girl groups' sound like in 2012, it's exciting as heck.

Overheard multiple times throughout the night are people confiding secretly, almost shamefully; 'You know, I've never actually seen The Gin Club'. This revolving cast of grizzled dudes (and a not-so-grizzled lady) playing pour-your-heart-into-a-whiskey-bottle country music is a Brisbane institution, and they seem stoked to be supporting pals Teas Tea in front of a devoted crowd. Even without a sick Ben Salter, their huge, lush sound fills up The Zoo's every corner. Their final song, the classic death ballad Abigail, has one couple slow dancing and making out while the rest of the room looks on awkwardly.

Great duets are ones where you feel like one voice couldn't be without the other, where the two sides combine to tell a story that's nuanced and whole. Throughout Texas Tea's set it's often striking how well Kate Jacobson and Ben Dougherty have mastered this dynamic. They also manage to so perfectly depict sadness without ever wallowing in it, a lightness of touch that only comes from making music for a long time. This skill is especially arresting in I Love You Like This Black Eye, a beautiful and understated track from new album Sad Summer Hits. Another highlight is the Dougherty-helmed I Don't Write No Sad Songs, driven by a dirty riff and a great sense of barely restrained aggression. Jacobson introduces Wedding Belle as the kind of song she hopes Elvis would sing, but it's debateable if even he would be able to sing it with the amount of sympathy and soul that she does. The Madisons are back on stage for Head Says Yes (Heart Says No), before the encore where they play a cute Hawaiian cover that leaves everyone with a smile on their face.