Live Review: The Griswolds, Our Man In Berlin, Beach Aunty

Perth's obsession with shiny new things can be bemusing at times, but when that shiny new thing is a part '50s diner, part live music venue and named after a famous Pulp Fiction venue, you can understand why people are flocking in, and that's not even taking into account the fantastic bands on display this Saturday night.

It all worked in Beach Aunty's favour. The local trio took to the stage with front of an already packed room and the boys feasted on the crowd's enthusiasm. Busting through a heap of catchy indie-rock-influenced tunes, including a sneaky cover of fellow local champs Hamjam's Love, Beach Aunty would've certainly gained a heap of new fans in the process, and with their debut EP currently in the works, there's so, so much to look forward to from these guys. Our Man In Berlin suited the Slim's venue well; having seen them multiple times over the last few months, this set seemed to be their strongest. There's no doubt they've mastered their sound — a very smooth blend of electronic pop — but on this stage they sounded like they had more of a kick. They were louder and the sound reverberated extremely well right around the room, making the bigger moments in the set where vocalist Haydn Mansell belted out the bigger notes all the more impressive.

Slim's was absolutely heaving by the time The Griswolds announced themselves on stage, launching into the groovy Right On Track, before FIFA fans united to roar the affirming 16 Years right back at the band. Celebrating a year since the release of their debut album, Be Impressive, the band's enthusiasm was infectious. The bouncy If You Want To Stay had people jumping around all over the joint thanks to the catchy synth line, yet they had time to sneak in their Like A Version cover of Vance Joy's Riptide, which the band transformed into a galvanic piece of work. It wasn't until the opening bars to their biggest track Beware The Dog began to ring out, however, that the party jumped up a notch, as the ecstasy of punters hit a climax and saw numbers of people successfully attempting to crowd surf. It was the cherry on the icing on top of the cake and a testament to just how much potential The Griswolds have to dominate the world stage. Come back soon, guys!