With a bunch of sold out shows on the cards, including this one, it's obvious that The Smith Street Band have managed to build a strong relationship with its fans. Such was the popularity of the gig that there were people standing around the beer garden simply hoping someone would be there to sell them a ticket. Those of us lucky enough to get inside early saw locals The Leap Year kicking things off and settle the crowd with their own blend of picturesque indie-rock. The amplified sound in the venue gave them a new edge, the set indeed being memorable among the bands to follow them. Next up was Grim Fandango, who have spent their last few weeks on tour with Smith Street and judging by their performance, they were certainly happy to be playing in front of a home crowd. The group played a bunch of tracks from last year's release Flicker Noise, and pumped the crowd up something fierce for the final two groups.
The Menzingers hail all the way from Scranton, Pennsylvania and were sure as hell ready to put on a performance that was worth the trip. The by-now-surging crowd were not disappointed as the group managed to smash out an absolute banger of a set, with most material coming from their 2012 record On The Impossible Past. There's certainly a sense of angsty, nostalgic value in their music, particularly in regards to their lyrics, and the crowd positively lapped it up, confirming just how perfect the band were for the headliner's main support.
A short break to keep the crowd on their toes, and The Smith Street Band finally took to the stage shortly after 11pm. With the entire venue completely packed-out, the boys kicked things off with Postcodes and Don't Fuck With Our Dreams, which launched the crowd into one of the biggest and best rousing sing-alongs of recent memory. Again, the band's biggest charm is that their lyrics clearly resonate with the crowd; there's scarcely a moment where people aren't shouting along. During Ducks Fly Together, frontman Wil Wagner steps back from the mic to let the crowd cover the “I've got ciggies” line, but the highlight of the night was most certainly their encore choice, Get High, See Mice – it notched the crowd up to an even higher gear, while also seemingly bringing everyone together to enjoy the last sing-along of the night, which will no doubt be talked about for a long time into the future. Come back soon, guys!
