Live Review: The Love Junkies, Skullcave, The Drools

Creating a potent mix of blues-infused grunge to kick off the night was three-piece The Drools, who managed to get the small crowd up front and headbanging to their solid set of original tunes. Doom-gaze/stoner-rock trio Skullcave were up next, starting with great versions of Echo Room and Forrest before treating the audience to songs from their planned new EP, Climbing. Despite the band using the test audience to practice the material, new songs like Am I Crossing Over?, Waking Up, How To Tell You're Winning and Climbing all sounded tight and packed full of energy.

Garage surf pop four-piece Gunns provided a nice contrast to the heavier sounds of the night, with The Fool and Live By The Sea getting the crowd swaying and dancing to the dreamy melodies and laid-back rhythms of the band. Unfortunately the band was plagued by sound issues on stage that hampered the flow of the performance but they nevertheless got a great response from the enthusiastic audience.

The Love Junkies arrived to a packed audience shortly after 11pm. Mitch McDonald let out a howl of feedback on his guitar before he and the rest of the band launched into a raucous version of Chemical Motivation, which transitioned into Baby Come Home. A mosh started for Lonely Ride and only grew throughout the night. Bassist Robbie Rumble handled lead vocals for Storm Troopers before people started crowd-surfing to Maybelene.

"We're going to do something a little bit self-indulgent,” said McDonald before the band tore through a cover of Nirvana’s Radio Friendly Unit Shifter then Oxymoron and Black Sheep Blues. The band capped off the set with Blowing On The Devil’s Strumpet, which ended with McDonald shaking his guitar against the amp as feedback poured out through the speakers and then leaving the stage to an ecstatic response from the room.