Live Review: Warning Birds, Our Man In Berlin, Regular Hunters

An outdoor event cursed by the fickle winds of fortune, or more literally, the actual winds and rain. Last Friday was a night for the bold and foolhardy looking to score some cheap folk and wine amongst the rough and tumble streets of Fremantle. The Regular Hunters began the night's proceedings, and came close to topping them, with coarse, thickly-distorted arpeggios, heavy blues influences and adept use of ebbing and cresting dynamics. Frontwoman Leah Miche's striking and soulful vocals were the stand-out feature of the band, though there was a lack of conviction in certain riffs.

Contrasting their stripped back style, Our Man In Berlin provided dollops of reverb-laden, astral synth-rock. The interaction between members was good, with guitarist Trevor Shotham's crisp tone cutting through the pensive, layered synth lines. Songs like The Run Around saw the band make forays into harder, driving rock orchestrations, adding a nice contrast to the dreamier numbers, which occasionally saw singer Haydn Mansel experience pitching problems during sustained falsetto notes.

Warning Birds finished up the night. Promoting their new single Horrors, the band radiated confidence, with frontman Sam Carmody building a good rapport with the crowd. The band's performance was simple, genuine and engaging, though weak transitions were their Achilles heel, and an occasional lack of sensitivity from drummer Tim Bates stymied dynamic shifts. However, the band overcame these trials and made a strong and lasting connection with the audience.