Live Review: Hunting Grounds, Gung Ho, Royal Chant

The night is young when New South Welshmen Royal Chant kick off the second show of the tour with only a handful of polite punters standing before them. Still, it's clearly no deterrent as frontman Mark Spence leads his band of three through gems like Shatters Alright and Coughing Fits with charismatic vigour. They make the most of their opening slot, proving that jangly '90s garage surf rock is making a classy revival.

Having already built a solid fanbase over the past couple of years with a couple of swiftly picked up EPs, Brisbane boys and triple j Unearthed favourites Gung Ho's slightly more geeky brand of the garage surfer sound incorporates a bit more funk with Oliver Duncan's dexterous manhandling of his gaffer-taped bass. He and fellow specs-wearing guitarist Michael McAlary share vocal duties, with each achieving a widely differing style of song and sound. Duncan channels a bit of Robert Smith with his sighs and laconic wail, covering Friends' I'm His Girl, while McAlary's breathy delivery and spot-on falsetto fits the mix perfectly on radio favourite, Twin Rays. With catchy, surf rock hooks and off-kilter pop beats, Gung Ho are in prime position to take over the summer.

Practically obliterating the sunny vibe that seeped into the last two sets, Ballarat sextet Hunting Grounds part the crowd and leap onstage, unleashing chugging guitars and distorted synths with Star Shards from recently-released debut album, In Hindsight. Vocalist Michael Belsar soon finds his comfort zone, letting his mid-range vocal wander before reaching for a controlled high in All Eyes. It's hard to believe the cramped space can handle the level and fury of sound this swag of guitars, keys, bass and drums create but despite some high and low lines getting lost in the mix, it all sounds pretty bang on. These guys are fascinating to watch, full of late-teen/early-twenties attitude and shifts between Belsar's deadpan delivery and Lachlan Morrish's thrashy howl on Kill My Friends.

Ripping through covers of Gorillaz's Clint Eastwood and No Doubt's Hella Good, calls for their triple j Unearthed High winning song Blackout, under former band moniker Howl, is extinguished by Belsar, saying their closer is just as massive, “like my penis, so it's actually quite small.” Making good on his hint, they finish literally on a high with In Colour, with Belsar, and even the boys from Last Dinosaurs, becoming airborne over the crowd's heads. Crowd surfing and circles of deaths aside, these young guys know how to create a memorable performance and it's clear the name change and new direction in sound is working for them, proven by a preference for their new material tonight.