Live Review: The Smith Street Band, Joyce Manor, Ceres, Allison Weiss

The Sunday night blues are no doubt seeping into many a household across the city on this warm autumn night, but they certainly don't hold sway with those milling about outside The Tivoli doors. There's a buzz emanating from these folk and it multiplies once inside, where even more early birds have staked claims on their chosen vantage points for the evening.

These keen beans have treated themselves to US singer-songwriter Allison Weiss and her eclectic pop punk. The lady herself is a pocket rocket, bounding about the stage and whipping up some sweaty times down the front with tracks from her most recent album New Love.

Melbourne boys Ceres look tickled pink to find themselves on a tour like this one. Frontman Tom Lanyon is an affable young dude full of kind words for the crowd before him. The pretty floral backdrop suits their playful, sunny punk, and is a nice distraction for bottom-heavy sections where bass and guitar imbalances overpower the neat little intricacies hidden in between. But newbie Stretch Ur Skin and old favourite Choke more than make up for any minor sound grievances.

Californian garage punk four-piece Joyce Manor have a solid and noisy throng awaiting them, calling for the boys to get a "shoey" down them. With a flat out, "you're wasting your time", it seems that's that, and on the show goes. There is a truckload of love for these guys; they're tight, they slip easily from the fast and mental to the low and slow, and lyrically tap into the everyday troubles we all get. Heart Tattoo, Victoria, Constant Nothing — but oddly no Last You Heard Of Me — have limbs flying through the air, and frontman Barry Johnson even sees fit to accept a beer from a fan, though sans shoey.

Selling out night one of their two-night stint in Brisbane is no mean feat for a no frills Melbourne punk band, and if The Smith Street Band haven't done it again tonight, they'd be damn close. The SSB backdrop is torn aside to the sounds of Kendrick Lamar to reveal main man, Wil Wagner — rocking his Kendrick tee — and the rest of the band. Suffer, Song For You, Birthdays and I Don't Wanna Die Anymore get things pretty sweaty early on, with Wagner apologising for a croaky voice that's seen quieter weeks — but he needn't bother, his pub punk vocals are bang on as always. It's little points like this that make SSB such a special act; their easy banter, lyrical nous and simple set up combine to make for wild but still intimate live shows. Surrender, Passiona and Death To The Lads finish off the set before Wagner returns solo for My Little Sinking Ship then prefaces closer Throw Me In The River with words of grace and humility — "If I can do this anyone can."