Live Review: Wavves - The Rosemount Hotel

Considering the hype surrounding California surf punkers Wavves, it was surprising to see an empty room when locals Sonpsilo Circus kicked the night off. But as punters slowly sifted into the venue from the beer garden, towards the end of the openers and throughout Sures set, it was clear they were simply sinking beers in preparation for the inevitable festivities the headliners would evoke.

Wavves sprouting 30 minutes prior to their set to assemble their own instruments was a welcome change from bands that only appear once their roadies have done all the hard work. Once resurfacing frontman Nathan Williams seemed surprisingly well composed for a man who has built his reputation on regularly being as wasted as possible, and from the first lyrics that came out of his mouth, it was clear that his talent as a vocalist goes uncaptured on the band's recordings. With three security guards on stage, perhaps to compensate for the lack of a barrier and ensure that no pedals were stolen like the last time they played Perth, they smashed through a lively set kicked off by King Of The Beach – which may have suited better to close the set, but got things in action quickly. Instead of chanting for a well-deserved encore, most of the crowd quickly shuffled towards the exit, leaving Wavves winding up cables before heading to Bunbury and doing it all again the next day at GTM.