Live Review: The Trouble With Templeton, Holy Holy, Vancouver Sleep Clinic

You don't know the name Vancouver Sleep Clinic, but you definitely will in the future. A full band experience birthed from the music of frontman Tim Bettinson, it's pretty incredible to learn that this is the young sextet's first show, such is the quality on display. Their sprawling style of indie washes over you, with instant touchstones sitting somewhere between early Bon Iver, Beirut and Sigur Ros, and everybody on stage is immersed in their parts and committed to doing it exactly right. Bettinson admits to nerves but if anything it underpins their playing with genuine humbleness that's hard to fault. His aching falsetto soars, while the drumming brings with it power, and the keys, guitars and bass make sure things are tight texturally. Really didn't know what to expect before this performance. Now, the answer's clear: big things.

The live make-up of Holy Holy is like an all-star Brisbane bill, with bearded frontman Timothy Carroll calling on the assistance of drummer Myka Wallace (Laneous & The Family Yah, Texas Tea), keys player Hannah Macklin (MKO) and bassist Graham Ritchie (Emma Louise) to really bring the project to life on stage. The only 'blow-in' is lead guitarist Oscar Dawson, but throughout the performance it's the Melburnian's licks that constantly act as the hero atop of the band's warm alt-country. Carroll's voice sounds like it was designed for a crackling AM radio on a lonely road, while the rhythm can be followed just by watching the bouncing motion of Macklin's hoop earrings. They deliver a stellar take of Neil Young's Southern Man and the track seems to lift the quintet's energy, which rolls over in a big concluding stanza constructed around their stunning single Impossible Like You.

The all-Brissie shebang is complete when The Trouble With Templeton hit the stage with smiles, eager to show off their anticipated debut Rookie, and turn the intensity up on proceedings with a driving Six Months In A Cast. They look nothing if not the headliner this evening. What was once frontman Thomas Calder's moniker now sits naturally as a five-piece band, and the visible chemistry is undeniable. Guitarist Hugh Middleton and keyboardist Betty Yeowart are having their own fun left of the middle, while the rhythm section of Sam Pankhurst (bass) and Ritchie Daniell (drums) offer as much instrumentally as they do with their vocal back-ups. The natural huskiness of Calder's voice shines from the middle – especially during an arresting solo foray – but when his bandmates are surrounding him it really comes together, with his stories of life and love seeming to hold more poignancy and soul, a truth the crowd more than connect with.