The first opening act – I, A Man – serenaded the audience with their guitar-heavy tunes. Playing a number of songs from their EP, You’re Boring Us All, the crowd were treated to a sample of this Melbourne band’s captivating talent.

With guitar strumming that ricocheted between relaxingly slow and almost frantic, with steadily growing drum beats, each new song was met with anticipation and a whispering crowd expressing their newfound affections for the band.

Local act Sincerely, Grizzly chatted jokingly with the crowd as their amps were fixed. With his guitar stuck together with tape and decorated with a single basketball card, the bare-footed lead singer stood tall against the velvet backdrop and sped confidently through their set. The bass guitarist and drummer bent into their instruments as the lights flashed colours and left shadows along the stage.

While the crowd multiplied and grew, Sincerely, Grizzly’s members held an unfaltering concentration to their respective roles. The drummer’s incredible talent was not lost on the crowd, and was especially prominent in their song “21″ as he raced throughwith a vigorous energy that was unparalleled throughout the entire gig.

The crowd shuffled forward, filling the gaps on the dancefloor, as headliners, The Medics toyed with the sound of their instruments before their show.  Known for their fluid vocals and indie-rock tunes, The Medics have been on the rise since winning the Triple J Deadly award in 2010.

The band was warmly welcomed by the crowd, and begun their set with the song “Golden Bear”. The bass guitarist rolled into each note with his entrancing dance movements, while the singer’s enchanting voice rung out over the small venue.

Starting their song “Beggars” over twice, after the drum kit broke the first time, the musicians calmly drew in the audience’s attention with their soft banter and sweet words of thanks.

Their song “Deadman” elicited an electric excitement from the crowd, as fans crept closer to the stage in order to sing along with the band.  The slow vocals of their songs smoothly complemented the building volume of the instruments, particularly on one of their last songs, “Griffin”.

As the instrumental part of the song exceeded its normal length, the crowd cheered enthusiastically, encouraging the enjoyment of the band members. Their final song “Joseph” was launched with the bass guitarist jumping into the crowd while fans built up a steady clap and called out the biblical lyrics to the grinning musicians.

Alternating between microphones, the singer effectively achieved the resplendent echoes of the digital versions. Still, this is a band definitely better seen live than listened to off a CD, and one that will hopefully only continue to gain in popularity.

- Alexandra Skeer