Live Review: The Brow, Coin Banks, Rokwell & Groom

After a season of self-imposed hibernation, Rokwell & Groom returned to the stage blinking like newly-emerged moles in the spotlight. A little insular and uncharacteristically tense, with Rokwell clenching his guitar at nipple height, the pair eased themselves in, accumulating momentum and confidence as Groom exorcised her suburban ennui and Rokwell weaved around their beats with Eastern-sounding scales on his twangy, sitar-like guitar. While the commercial breakthrough that some had tipped has yet to materialise, some new compositions interlaced with their established standards were reminders of their collective talent and chemistry.

Always a sound investment of your time, Coin Banks, despite sounding a little breathless at first accumulated interest, engaging the audience with some call and response. Not one to brag about material excess or his bulging pockets, Banks effectively won over a neutral crowd with his everyman charm. Drummer Peter Forgus consistently busted guts with his loose, limber beats, but it was a minor shame that Banks didn't have his full band with him this time.

Since it was a launch party for not just one, but two singles, The Brow had decided to really push the boat out and enlist the services of My Kitchen Rules contestants Chloe and Kelly and a whizz with the scissors going under the name of The Dandy Barber. It was therefore possible for the first time at Amplifier (and perhaps anywhere) to simultaneously drink beer, eat a pulled pork sub, get your hair cut and listen to live rootsy dance music — theoretically at least.

An album/EP/single launch is almost guaranteed to inject a fresh hit of stimulus into a band — not that Afro-Cuban ska assault group The Brow need one. As they fluctuated from six to eight members on a stage that was patently too small for them, there was barely enough room to accommodate their wild energy, pogoing and regular trombone thrusts jutting out over the front row's heads. The crowd compensated though with some pogoing and non-stop dancing of their own. Each of the new singles — the pessimistic baroque pop of Monsters and the protest rap frenzy of That's Life — were equally well received. Please Australia, in the name of justice, ensure that one of these songs becomes the almost painfully overdue crossover hit The Brow deserve.