Live Review: Something For Kate, Courtney Barnett

Opening the night was the immensely talented Courtney Barnett. What was a shy crowd at first soon became an eager one as Barnett's relaxed vocals and blues infused guitars dominated her incredible set. Are You Looking After Yourself, Lance Jr and History Eraser went over well with the crowd as she rolled through her set with ease. If there was any complaint it is that her time on stage was far too short. We can only hope that she releases new material soon to feast our ears on.

Much applause and the odd wolf whistle welcomed Something For Kate to the stage, who immediately launched into SFK classic Captain (Million Miles An Hour) followed up by Hallways and Private Rain. The band's first extensive tour since the release of their latest album, it was curious to see how well the new tracks would work alongside their denser back catalogue. Needless to say, the set blended exceptionally well as many songs were given a fantastic live treatment. Something For Kate wouldn't strike the casual listener as a very “rock-y” sounding band, but that is certainly not the case in the live setting as songs like Whatever You Want, Kaplan/Thornhill and Twenty Years were played with incredible ferocity, drummer Clint Hyndman sending his sticks flying off his kit and ricocheting off the ceiling.

As always Paul Dempsey was part troubadour, part stand up comedian as he bantered with the crowd taking issue with what Wollongong locals should be referred to; “I'm just going to call you Wollongon-cans” he shrugged. And it wouldn't be a gig without some dancing, as Dempsey hilariously danced awkwardly on stage as Hyndman played an impromptu drum solo between songs.

A beautiful acoustic and piano version of Light at the End of the Tunnel slowed the proceedings down before the band launched into an awesome cover of Hunters and Collectors' When the River Runs Dry, closing out the set with Miracle Cure and the Gina Reinhardt dedicated The Kids Will Get the Money.

An encore performance of Electricity saw triple J's Lindsay 'The Doctor' McDougall take up lead guitar duty. Not rehearsed and not exactly perfect, it was still plenty of fun. Finishing with a rousing version of Deja Vu, Something For Kate proved why they are one of the best and talented acts going around.