Live Review: Go Violets

Within minutes, everyone has a crush on the Go Violets, and it's not just because this four-piece girl band from Brissy are mega babes - it's because they rock. Saccharine surf rock hooks and driving percussion coupled with cute harmonies and powerful vocals get everyone tapping and swaying. Even the morose-looking dudes up the back. The self-described “4 piece bunny rock pool pop band” perform a tight set and though there isn't a huge crowd, everyone's glad to be here. This Brissy brand of hazy, washed-out beach-pop with a cheeky edge and a sprinkling of garage grunge gets the crowd hooked. It's impressive they're able to pull out a full set of sexy and sweet tunes considering they're only just launching their second single. Josie is polished beach-pop, fun and upbeat with catchy hooks that will be sure to stick for days to come. If you haven't seen the video clip yet, check it out – it's like instagram exploded or a snapshot of the lives we wish we led.

There are a few songs that definitely need to be smashed out a few more times in the rehearsal room to carry the same kind of confident swagger as Teenager or Josie but they don't miss a beat. Despite the fact that this Melbourne visit is part of the single launch, there's an album's worth of material within the set. If the rough cut of some of the new material is anything to go by, they'll be killer when they're polished up. There's a new song, as yet untitled, about having a crush and not caring about doing dirty laundry in your underwear, that has a darker, grungier edge to it. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this, and some of the other new material guitarist and sometimes-vocalist Alice brings out. Hopefully someone takes them up on the challenge to name the song after the gig, too. Guitarist and vocalist Phoebe has a commanding voice with incredible depth and range. Her nerves are clear on a couple of tracks though, and she needs to relax into being on stage and owning it more, as she's often the centre of attention.

When their set finishes, the crowd stands dumbly for a moment, hoping there might be more. Everyone wanders off to get delicious free popcorn or pops downstairs for some nicotine stain, and those left in the bandroom get a bit of a shock. Burlesque artist L'amour – The Lady Provocative is a talented performer, somehow reminiscent of Zsa Zsa Gabor, but this is the wrong place for it. She deserves an attentive audience, not people sniggering down the back or pulling out camera phones. After the addictive surf-rock we'd just experienced from Go Violets, a lady taking her clothes off just seems weird.