Live Review: Tim Rogers & The Bamboos, Rocking Horse & The Baby Dolls, The Vanns

Kiama's The Vanns have the dance rock stylings of most northern English guitar bands, teamed with vocals so unique the closest to the pin would be James Reyne, but so not. Opening with You And The Night, the lads brought a garage funk to the evening going beyond the usual bass line strut, with warm-toned guitar solos and keys somehow leading the whole affair without intruding. The new track, Holding On, showed their ability to get deep and thick with funk.

Rocking Horse & The Baby Dolls don't play gigs, they put on shows. Their pint-sized singer has a voice that smacks you on one cheek before softly kissing the other. The reshuffle and inclusion of extra percussion serves their songs well, with new single, At The Races, showcasing the jungle drum effects now on offer. The mid-set change of tempo with My Heart's Trying To Crawl Out Of Me gave some smooth groove relief to the otherwise intense set.

The Bamboos opened in their usual classy style, with Kylie Auldist out front. Things got a little looser when Tim Rogers hit the stage, setting the tone from the start by renaming Am I Expecting Too Much to “Can I Get In Your Crotch”. Despite being “the fifth best singer in The Bamboos”, he added some danger to the usually tight and clean funksters. The saucy Contact High was a standout among the duets with Auldist, but mostly the vocal duties were shared between the soloists, including Ella Thompson taking on the killer Medicine Man. Rogers owned the rockier tracks such as Lime Rickey, North Side Girl and the classic, Rumble. The crew were crazy, classy, crass and cool as fuck.