Live Review: Trigger Jackets, Royston Vasie, Mezzanine, Further Earth, Apache

Having released two EPs over the course of 2009 and 2010, Trigger Jackets' full-length release has been a long time coming for not only the band, but the fans, which was made extremely obvious by the massive influx of people flooding into the Amplifier Bar from early in the evening. Unfortunately for Apache (ex-The Tumblers), their early slot on the bill meant they weren't performing in front of nearly as many people as they deserved. They proved to be one of the standout acts of the evening, playing a tight and well-rehearsed blend of catchy, distorted, heavy rock that had the few of us who were there feeling very lucky to have experienced such an enjoyable performance. Further Earth eased into their set with some brooding and slow-burning tunes, before picking up the tempo and unleashing their all the energy they could muster with some blistering numbers reminiscent of Dead Letter Circus.

Mezzanine were the third band to grace the stage, and embraced the audience with their own brand of grunge-rock. Amplifier Bar seems to bring out the best in these guys. The band thrive off the ever-growing crowd; while their dominating stage presence keeping everybody rooted to where they stood. Someone To Abuse has been a banger of a tune since the band conceived it, and the group made sure they waited 'til they neared the end of the set before they unleashed it for ultimate audience pleasure. Melbourne's Royston Vasie were the main support for TJs in what would be a warm-up gig ahead of their WA tour. Bringing along a friend in Courtney Barnett as an extra guitarist for some extra fuzz and wah-wah, the band sounded composed and complete, bringing to the table some attractive and memorable indie-rock tunes. Despite being the only interstate band on the bill, the band's arguably biggest song at the moment, You Want It Now, was met with cheers and approval from the near-packed room and I'm sure the band will be hoping their reception's just as good for their headlining shows to come.

By the time Trigger Jackets took to the stage, the room was bumper-to-bumper. As such, the crowd roared when the band made their presence known and kicked things off with Shaking Hands, The Loneliest Time and Give Me Your Ocean, the second-to-fourth tracks from the band's new release respectively. The crowd were enjoying every second of it, but they were in ecstasy when the band swung into older tracks Limelight and Gotta Feeling; it was fantastic to see so many members of the audience singing along to these tracks and sporting the biggest grins on their faces. The cheer continued to ring in the air after the band played their final track, and it was wonderful to see a Perth-dominated bill garner so much support. I'm sure the TJ boys will be feeling on top of the world.