Live Review: Them Swoops, The Greasers, Hiding With Bears

Squeezing past the bottleneck at the bar, we find some of the last available space in the far-back-corner of the Northcote bandroom. On the stage are opening act Hiding With Bears. The young six-piece tentatively work through a track driven by doubled-up percussion, a spindly guitar line and the small-voiced vocals of Ryan Groenewald. Despite what seemed like looks of apprehension shared between a few of the members, the song builds to an impressive crescendo with all the members roaring along without microphones. It's actually pretty intriguing and a self-directed memo is made to catch a full set from the band soon.

The room seems at near-capacity when The Greasers take to the stage. The three-piece are all members of “Melbourne indie supergroup” New Gods and return tonight for a very rare appearance to play tracks from their 2011 album, Night To Night. From the reception they get it seems like there are some long-time fans in attendance. It's no wonder. Dominic Byrne's emotive crooning is exceptional and the band's unique brand of soulful guitar pop reverberates lushly around the tightly-packed room. A welcome sense of rawness comes during the instrumental breaks as Rich Bradbeer's bass slides smoothly under Byrne's blistering guitar. A top-notch return from the trio, which sets the room up grandly for the headliners.

It's been over a year since an early version of Work Around It found its way onto triple j rotation, but the big turnout suggests Them Swoops have lost little momentum coming into their EP launch tonight. With the aforementioned single playing from the stereo and the stage bathed in green light there is a sense of earnest professionalism about the Melbourne outfit as they enter the stage. With plenty of the band's material not yet recorded, it's refreshing to hear the quality of their new tracks as they play through their set. Many of the songs mix standard indie rock with a funky, almost-disco feel. An early set highlight comes in Holiday Dancer with exuberant frontman Dave McGann swapping his guitar for some shakers and belting out what could become an indie dance anthem in the vein of Friendly Fires. The introduction of the synths midway through the set adds some more layers to the band's already hefty sound. McGann repeatedly vocalises his genuine appreciation for the support from the crowd and after welcoming his Aunt Julie to the venue he announces new single, Rollerskate. With its electronic dashes and a big vocal hook, the track is a clear highlight, outshining both their earlier singles.

Overall, tonight is an excellent showing from Them Swoops, both the band and the crowd surely giving the camera crew that captured the proceedings plenty of good footage to work with.