by Billy Geary
The Evelyn Hotel is one of the best smaller scaled venues in Melbourne, with many a band’s careers having kick started at the pub. Even band’s like Muse have played there before they found stardom. Therefore it was the perfect place for some of the country’s better young rock bands to show their wares to a decent sized crowd.

Mama’s Rejects opened up the night with their energy fuelled pop punk. Boasting a sound somewhere between Unwritten Law and The Living End, they served as a great warm up for the rest of the night. The quartet were clearly having a ball on stage and the music echoed this fact, sounding as though it would go hand in hand with a cold beer and a day at the beach. Mama’s Rejects have definitely got what it takes to make a good fist of a music career.

Up next was Stone Parade who were absolutely fantastic. With a set made up of predominantly cuts from their album Stratosphere. The band were in top form, in particular vocalist Greg Byrne who possesses one of the better voices in Australian rock music. Cuts like ‘Black Dove White Heart’ and ‘Children of the Lost Empire’ showed how tight Stone Parade are live, while arguably their biggest song, ‘Paranoia’ received a great reception from the decent sized crowd. Stone Parade’s set only furthered the notion that the quintet should really be playing at venues like The Hi-fi and Festival Hall as opposed to the comparatively small Evelyn Hotel.

Indigo Children closed out the night with their hook driven rock, proving to be an excellent live band. Showing a clear Incubus influence, Indigo Children’s set was chock full of insanely catchy rock and the crowd lapped it up. Launching their new single ‘Between The Lines, ’ (which quite honestly rocks) and playing songs from their debut album New Light, the crowd lapped it up to the point of demanding an encore. It was very refreshing to hear a band in the Melbourne rock scene who aren’t afraid to write straightforward, honest and catchy rock with no frills around the edges.

A great display of some of Melbourne and Sydney’s best up and coming rock bands, with all three bands showing they are ones to watch out for in the future. Hopefully Stone Parade make it back to Melbourne as quick as they can, while Indigo Children continue to go from strength to strength as they build towards their next album.

by Billy Geary

www.stoneparade.com
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Indigo-Children/66201093438
www.facebook.com/mamasrejectsband