Live Review: The Southwicks, The Right Way Up, Being Beta, These Winter Nights, Ohayo

The Southwicks were determined to make the Rosemount Hotel sound techs work hard on Thursday, having put together a genre-defying line-up for the launch of their debut EP Euphoria. From the dulcet indie-pop of newcomers Ohayo to the raucous blitz-punk of The Right Way Up and everything in between, the night was set to be anything but the usual.

Ohayo broke the ice with a rather impressive set. Laidback melodic breaks and delicate riffs built up a chilled, atmospheric soundscape, while the vocals really drove home the punch of the songs. These Winter Nights followed with sudden grandiose choruses and triumphant outros. Pumped up by an articulate and manicured rhythm section, the five-piece belted out their set like they were trying to beat back a bushfire.

Then, in the middle of a five-band line-up, came The Southwicks. While surprised by the early appearance of the main act, the crowd were showing their excitement before line-check had finished. The Southwicks were quick to capitalise on the eager punters and hastily launched into their set, with a few imperfections and technical difficulties stalling their performance early on. Fortunately they managed to find their feet by about midway through, and their EP hits Home and Girl With A Gun thundered out with strong pop hooks and powerful instrumentation.

The six-piece mixed things up with a roving floor tom and a confetti cannon, though they needed nothing but their music to make the night a memorable affair. Every instrument found its place in the mix, from the glockenspiel to the violin, creating a broad sonic breeze that carried the set home.

The Southwicks sailed off into the night and the crowd left with them; leaving the last two bands to play to an empty room. Being Beta launched into a cranked-up set of loud party-punk backed up with enough power to pull their drummer off his throne, and The Right Way Up capped things off with old-school punk jams, cheese-grater guitar tones, and sheer lunacy. It may as well have been a whole new show, and as the girlfriends shuffled their feet in the spilt confetti, it was obvious the night had blown its load, rolled over, and gone to sleep far too early.